Xref: utzoo comp.misc:12288 sci.crypt:4581
Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!mips!apple!portal!cup.portal.com!ts
From: ts@cup.portal.com (Tim W Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.misc,sci.crypt
Subject: Re: RSA public-key source?
Message-ID: <41753@cup.portal.com>
Date: 27 Apr 91 12:52:34 GMT
References: <1401@nih-csl.nih.gov>
  <1991Apr26.193911.13853@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
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[ Disclaimer -- I am *NOT* a lawyer, although I've watched an actor
  play one on TV :-).  Anyone who makes legal decisions based on
  net postings is a moron. ]

The RSA patent shouldn't prevent you from distributing the source
code to an RSA implementation.  If the code you have is copyrighted,
you will need the copyright holder's permission, of course.

The RSA patent, however, would prevent you from *running* the code,
or from running any implementation of RSA other than one licensed
from the holders of the patent.  However, I don't think that they
can use the patent to stop distribution of the code itself.

So if you want to look at it for your own edification (or to get
ready to market a competing implementation when their patent
expires (1997 or thereabouts, isn't it?)), then there should
be no problem.

					Tim Smith

ps: read the disclaimer at the top again.