Motorola iTunes phone set to launch at V Festival?

The fruits of the long-awaited partnership between Motorola and Apple look set to finally debut next month as Europe takes steps to open up the online music market.

Motorola promised back in December that an iTunes-equipped mobile phone from the phone manufacturer would make its appearance in early 2005, though only the most fleeting glimpses of the handset have been had. Now, according to reports, the final release date has been set as the weekend of 21 August, the first day of the V music festival.

The phone, believed to be the Motorola E790, will allow users to download music from iTunes to their handsets and to sync the device with their music libraries on a PC or Mac.

Motorola declined requests for comment.

As Apple and Motorola open up a new front in the music download world with the iTunes phone, the EC is seeking to open up the market to newcomers.

According to Internal Market and Services Commissioner Charlie McCreevy, the absence of a single European copyright is hampering the growth of the continent's online music stores. With a single pan-European licence, the EC believes, artists and record labels will be able to make more money and will therefore be keener to make their tunes available to the general public via the web.

According to the EC, the best way to do this would be the creation of collecting societies appointed to handle the royalties negotiations across Europe.