Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!cwns1!chet
From: chet@cwns1.INS.CWRU.Edu (Chet Ramey)
Newsgroups: comp.os.mach
Subject: Re: setuid bit patent
Message-ID: <1990Oct11.183933.6466@usenet.ins.cwru.edu>
Date: 11 Oct 90 18:39:33 GMT
References: <1990Oct10.043444.13850@agate.berkeley.edu> <10656@goofy.Apple.COM> <2371@opus.cs.mcgill.ca>
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$$ escher@Apple.COM (Michael Crawford) writes:
$$ There is another problem.  I understand one of those fellows, Ritchey I
$$ think, has patented the setuid bit, so one would have to license the bit
$$ to have any security systems work as under normal unix.  I don't know how
$$ this would interact with the case mentioned above.

and Clement Pellerin replies:
$ This patent is rather old.
$ How long does it take for a patent like this to expire in the states?

It's a non-issue, at least in this case.  AT&T officially announced long
ago that they were giving the patent up into the public domain (I forget
the correct term).

Chet
-- 
Chet Ramey			``As I recall, Doug was keen on boxing.  But
Network Services Group		  when he learned to walk, he took up puttin'
Case Western Reserve University	  the boot in the groin.''
chet@ins.CWRU.Edu