Australian government to question game publishers over high download prices

Newsbrief: A number of software companies, including video game publishers, will be asked to explain to the Australian Parliament why downloads of music and games cost much more in Australia than compared to overseas. The Sydney Morning Herald newspaper reports that Apple and Microsoft are among the companies who are being invited to explain their Australian pricing. The country's Minister for Communications Stephen Conroy is leading the parliamentary inquiry, which is also looking into high pricing of technology-related products. The inquiry will begin later this year, and will be conducted by the House of Representatives standing committee on infrastructure and communications. Sydney MP Ed Husic noted, "People here scratch their heads trying to work out why they get fleeced on software downloads."