At 8/17/00, you wrote:
> > What sideline patents? I have followed this issue and I do not know what
> > patents you're referring to.
>
>The company I used to work for did research on this issue and talked to a
>number of IP attorneys regarding this issue. They didn't seem to feel
>that it was as cut and dry of an issue. They said that RSA may try to
>claim the algorithm is covered by other patents. I personally don't know
>one way or the other. That said though, if I had to make a decision one
>way or the other regarding this issue, I'd be sure to talk to lawyers
>first.
--------------
This is silly talk.
I don't think it makes a gentleman sound very intelligent or
responsible to make such inflammatory statements, about such a incendiary
subject, with absolutely no facts at hand. Jeeeze!
To the best of my knowledge, and I've been a consultant to RSA for
many years, the RSApkc patent goes into the public domain as of Sept.
20th. That is cut and dry.
I also know of no "sideline patents" that would allow any
corporate entity to restrain anyone from using or selling or implementing
the RSApkc algorithm -- and in the US (as in most of the rest of the Free
World), the "national security" campaigns to deny citizens legal access to
strong crypto have been beaten back... for the time being.
With the Presidential Campaign looming, even US export controls on
crypto drifted toward sanity.
It is worth remembering the British experience, however. The Blair
government was elected on a Labor Party platform that promised to put a
leash on police electronic eavesdropping. After the election, however,
Blair swung 180 to sponsor a series of repressive GAK proposals. The Labor
government finally enacted the RIP bill, which could be described as a
spy's wish list for the Y2K Surveillance Society.
In the US, I expect the FBI will be trotting out the Horsemen of
the Apocalypse just as soon as the pixie dust from the Campaign settles. I
only hope the broad community of those now dependent on the privacy and
integrity of networked electronic communications -- for commerce and
corporate management, as well as personal pleasures and irksome politics --
will be as effective in keeping the spooks irritated and off-balance as as
little RSADSI was, lo these many years;-)
Does anyone remember *why* there were no standards for PKC other
than those RSA developed itself and promulgated as the PKCS?
Best of luck to everyone planning new product announcements for
Sept. 21st!
Suerte,
_Vin
Vin McLellan
The Privacy Guild
Chelsea, MA. USA
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