Navio: The DRM start-up in Apple’s backyard

Navio is the latest start-up wanting to change the way you buy and manage your music and vidoes.

It is based in Cupertino, in the shadow of Apple Computer, the company it hopes to challenge on digital rights management technology. (Apple’s technology makes it really difficult to play music on its iPod if it comes from sources other than its iTunes online store.)

Navio wants to let you bypass Apple in a comprehensive way (yes, there are lots of other efforts focused on music; TechCrunch has a good review of this area). Navio, though, lets you go online to find music, but also video, ring tones and other digital stuff. Here’s how it works: When you find something — say while perusing a blog or a producer’s Web site — you click the Navio “buy button.” This takes you to a small, multi-function window — a shopping cart that contains your preferred credit cards, etc, as well as an archive of what you’ve purchased in the past. You pay for the content, and then it can be moved to any device, regardless of format or any embedded copyright protections. Here is the Mercury News story about Navio (free registration), written by comrade John Boudreau.

The company raised $25.4 million late last year from VantagePoint Venture Partners, WK Technology Fund and Add Partners.

Interesting, but will it ever draw the attention of you, the Internet masses?