macnn/electronista
07/04/2008, 3:15pm, EDT
Friday, July 4thBelgian iPhone delayed due to protection law
Belgian iPhone customers will have to wait a bit longer than the earlier-announced July 11th launch date, since the device is subject to a law prohibiting a device to be sold in conjunction with a required subscription. French language site MacBidouille reports that the law counters Apple's plan of offering exclusive arrangements for some countries, since the lack of a contract would mean that the device would not be tied directly to Mobistar.
A revised date was not readily available from either Apple or Mobistar.
Filed under: iPhone, industry
Other story tags: Belgium, Mobistar
, 
, 8
, 
, 
, 
, 
, 
Top
subscribe to comments
for this article
i heart les francais
I love how the French make these rules and the French don't even care about them. Everyone that I've talked to say that they just keep the same cellphone and plan. The law is nice but they really don't care. Most still get their phones subsidized like the good ole USA. How rigolo!
Go Belgium!
I have been advocating a similar proposal in the last year, an American law making it illegal for a company, such as Apple, to force you to sign up with another company's subscription service at time of sale. This should be an obvious law, but perhaps the troglodytes in Washington are too busy dealing with funding for the next laser-guided missile.
I heart les Americains
No clue about the rest of the world, but always thinking they know better: Belgium and France are two distinct countries who may share a border and (partially) a language, but not terribly much more.
packs the luggage
prepares for a trip to Belgium
Distinction
Just to re-emphasize the comment from the gentleman drole.homme. I am not sure that your statement is entirely justified, and in this context, it would see way off. Reason simply being that Belgium is a very different country than France with very different laws. While the two both have French, the Belgians also tend to speak Dutch, Flemish, and English, and perhaps many other dialects. The requirement that you should not be forced to buy a subscription just because you bought a device seems entirely justified, and how US regulators have dropped the ball is beyond me. Chock it up to confused priorities, I guess.
Re: go belgium
Why is this an 'obvious' law?
Why an obvious law?
I don't see why that restriction would be an obvious law. Why shouldn't Apple be able to place any restriction they want, as long as people are aware of it? If you don't like it, don't buy it!
Belgian frites not French
To drole.homme: Using your geography Canada is part of the USA. These are different countries.