Michael Robertson | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Michael_Robertson,_2006.jpg) Robertson at the 2006 O'Reilly Emerging Telephony Conference. | |
| Born | 1967 (age 56–57) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of California, San Diego |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Known for | MP3.com, Linspire, SIPphone |
| Website | www |
Michael Robertson (born 1967) is the founder and former CEO of MP3.com, an Internet music site. In the years following his departure from MP3.com Robertson has launched several companies, including Linspire, SIPphone, MP3tunes, and Ajax13. He is also founder of OnRad.io, a search engine for radio and DAR.fm, a website for recording audio from internet radio.
Robertson faced numerous lawsuits from major record labels due to copyright infringements from the company's "Beam-it" and "Instant Listening" programs. MP3.com settled the majority of these lawsuits for tens of millions of dollars. The company was later acquired by Vivendi Universal for $385 million.
Robertson founded OS technology company Lindows, which later changed its name to Linspire after settling a trademark lawsuit with Microsoft. Linspire focused on creating an easy-to-use Linux-based operating system for desktops and laptops.
In 2003, Robertson founded SIPphone, which developed free VOIP software called Gizmo5. Google acquired the company in 2009. Robertson also launched MP3tunes.com in 2005, a music download service without digital rights management (DRM). MP3tunes faced a copyright infringement lawsuit by EMI and eventually filed for bankruptcy in 2012.
Robertson earned a bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science from the University of California, San Diego, and currently resides in San Diego. He self-identifies as a libertarian and has been recognized for his innovative contributions to technology.