Apple's iTunes In The iCloud Not Coming To U.K. Until 2012

Apple introduced the iCloud recently and among many other useful features the iCloud will offer backup services for purchased music. The full iCloud is coming this fall to the U.S. but how about other regions? 

It will not come for sure until quarter one of 2012, according to U.K.'s The Telegraph. The publication cites a spokesman for the Performing Right Society who allegedly said that "The licensing team at the PRS have started talks with Apple, but are a long way off from any deals being signed…It is very much the early stages of the negotiations and is similar to the launch of iTunes – which began in the US and took a while to roll out to other countries". 

Of course there are copyrights and intellectual property issues involved and Apple will have to fight the same war Microsoft is fighting for a couple of years now trying to bring Zune to more markets but artists and their labels (plus lawyers and laws) appear to be standing in the way. 

An executive (who wished to remain anonymous) with a record label also told The Telegraph that "tentative talks have begun between the major labels and Apple in the UK. However, all talks are at the really early stages and no one expects to see the cloud music service live on this side of the pond until 2012". We hear you and so do the potential Zune customers around the world. ...and we think it's safe to assume that if it won't come to UK until 2012, it won't come to other parts of Europe either. What about the rest of the world? Same laws, probably same issues...