Apple to offer Fox movie rentals

Apple and News Corp. have signed an agreement to offer Twentieth Century Fox movies for rent through the iTunes Music Store,
the Financial Times reported Thursday.

Users would be able to download the latest Twentieth Century Fox movies from iTunes and view them for a limited time, the
Financial Times reported, citing "a person familiar with the situation."

As
part of the agreement, Twentieth Century Fox will use Apple's FairPlay
digital rights management technology in future DVD releases, marking
the first time someone other than Apple has used the technology, the
report said. Using this technology would allow users to copy movies
from a DVD onto an iPod, it said.

The deal between Apple and Twentieth Century Fox will "likely" be announced on January 14 at the Macworld conference, the
Financial Times said.

Besides
Twentieth Century Fox, Apple is holding similar talks about online
movie rentals and FairPlay with Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount
and Warner Bros., the Financial Times said.

Apple, which saw its share price top $200 for the first time on Wednesday, currently offers some movies from Walt Disney and
other studios on iTunes, but these are only available for purchase, not for rent.

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