Munich - The European Commission's director general for competition has cautioned against imposing regulations on Apple's iPod on the grounds that its closed architecture impedes competition, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

"Before we jump in to regulate competition on the market it is worth asking whether competition is actually harmed," Philip Lowe, the EU's second-highest competition official, said at an antitrust conference in Munich.

"Is there not vigorous competition between different bundles of MP3 players and music libraries?"

The comments come after consumer groups from European nations including Finland, France, Germany and Norway have criticized Apple for closing off its iTunes Store and iPod players to formats and services from rival companies.

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http://tinyurl.com/29mwzh (Reuters)