Navio plans to ‘unlock’ iPod with DRM technology

Navio, a startup based in Apple’s hometown of Cupertino, California, has developed new software that will let content providers offer copy-protected music and videos that will play on iPods. “Navio has built a system that stores the rights associated with a piece of music, a game or a movie in the file itself,” reports Business 2.0. “When you buy a song or video from a Navio-powered website, information about your purchase is stored in a ‘digital locker’ that tracks your rights. The key difference from iTunes: Navio doesn’t care where you get the content. And that opens up any number of websites to the possibility of selling digital content. For music labels and movie studios, Navio provides an opportunity to reach consumers through a huge number of outlets, and experiment with selling and bundling content in a way that isn’t restricted by the rules of a particular service or online store.”