Co-opting DRM As a Business Model

The DRM-buster DVD Jon is at it again: after a short stint at MP3.com founder Michael Robertson’s various ventures, he has reverse-engineered (essentially replicated) Apple’s Fairplay DRM and is starting to license it to companies who want their media to play on Apple’s devices, including iPod, reports Liz at Gigaom. This is not the first time an attempt has been made to make other devices and media compatible with the iPod: among others, RealNetworks tried with its Harmony DRM scheme, which did not really take off.
Anyway, Jon’s company DoubleTwist Ventures is his first major attempt at commercializing his hacking.