A report on Macworld UK today notes that US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez spoke on CNBC warning: “Any time that something like this happens, any time that we believe intellectual property rights are being violated, we need to speak up and in this case, the company is taking the initiative.” Earlier this week French legislators passed a bill that would force Apple to open its digital rights management code for iTunes to other players. “Analysts meanwhile consider that if the French bill is passed into law, Apple is likely to quit the French market, to the benefit of local MP3 player makers there,” notes the story.