According to a report on the Associated Press today, leading lawmakers in France have agreed to lighten up on a draft law that could have threatened the future of Apple’s iPod in that country. “The National Assembly had voted in March to force companies like Apple Computer Inc. to make their online music stores and players compatible with rival products, but key members say they have agreed to many of the weaker measures endorsed by senators,” notes the story. “This means that Apple and Sony Corp. could avoid having to share their FairPlay and ATRAC3 file formats, lawyers say, providing they obtained permission from the artists whose music they sell.”