Real ready to fight Hollywood

Real Networks, which long tried to make a business by cooperating with labels and studios, has finally realized the only way for them to succeed is to play the "people" card. Hence, Real's RealDVD program, a $30 DVD ripper.

Real is willing to push back on Hollywood thanks to a recent court decision. The NYT's Brad Stone explains:

In March 2007, the DVD Copy Control Association, an alliance that licenses the encryption for DVDs, lost a lawsuit against Kaleidescape, a Silicon Valley start-up company that sells a $10,000 computer server that makes and stores digital copies of up to 500 films.

The DVD association has appealed the ruling. But Mr. Glaser thinks the decision has created the framework for a legal DVD copying product with built-in restrictions to prevent piracy.

We shall see.