By Thor Olavsrud
With the results of a highly contentious proxy battle still up in the air, and on the verge of liquidation just last week, digital music distribution player Liquid Audio Monday got a helping hand from Microsoft .
Microsoft played the white knight by buying up the rights to Liquid Audio's patents for a cash consideration of $7 million.
Liquid Audio President and CEO Gerry Kearby, whose continued leadership of the struggling company rests on the outcome of the proxy vote held last Thursday, said the move plays into the firm's new strategy of shedding product development in favor of exclusive focus on the digital distribution of media to retail.
The foreign and domestic patents Microsoft picks up through the deal include digital rights management (DRM) technology, technology for secure content transfer to portable devices, and technology which will allow it to honor territorial restrictions for digital music content.
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- js.