Is It Time for RealNetworks to Switch Gears?; New York Times, 6/28/09

Brad Stone via New York Times; Is It Time for RealNetworks to Switch Gears?:

"Now Real is waging a new war. Last fall, it introduced software called RealDVD that lets people overcome Hollywood’s anticopying software to make backups of the DVDs they own. Six major Hollywood studios and Real are now fighting over the technology in a federal court in Northern California. A preliminary decision from a judge is expected soon, but the case, and Real’s antitrust claims against the movie studios, could drag on for years.

Real’s cause — to let people make personal copies of movies they own — would appeal to average people, just like the company’s last crusade to sell music for the iPod. But is it a cause worth fighting for, particularly when there are more important challenges in Real’s core businesses? Many shareholders and pessimistic Wall Street analysts do not think so."

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/28/business/28stream.html?scp=1&sq=real%20networks&st=cse