Macworld UK reports that use of Griffin Technology’s iTrip device has been prohibited by UK authorities, according to Macworld UK. MacCentral has more info about the situation.
The US$35 iTrip allows you to listen to the MP3 songs stored on your iPod on a home or car stereo. It works with FM radios and sports a cylindrical design with rubberized grips on the end. The iTrip can tune to any FM frequency.
UK law-makers say that the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1949 forbids the installation or use of radio equipment in the UK unless a license has been granted by the Secretary of State, or a licensing exemption applies. Attempts to gain such permission for iTrip have failed, according to Macworld UK.
AM Micro, which distributes Griffin products in the UK, has hired a legal team to investigate the situation in hopes of finding a way to sell the iTrip. However, despite their work, it’s been made clear that it’s “absolutely illegal for distributors to sell it the UK” short of a change in the law, Andrew Green, Griffin spokesperson, told MacCentral.
“This just hurts the distributors,” he said. “There are many, many outlets for people in the UK to receive them. And the iTrip, a best-of-breed product, is very popular, so we think that people will employ any number of means to get them. Of course, Griffin neither encourages or discourages them from doing this.”
There are also two countries, Austria and Iceland, where iTrip shipments have been stopped at the border. In those nations, there were also problems with device or radio frequency prohibitions.