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From: henry@utzoo.UUCP (Henry Spencer)
Newsgroups: net.crypt
Subject: Re: RSA cryptographic algorithm patented?
Message-ID: <5810@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 21-Jul-85 00:37:36 EDT
Article-I.D.: utzoo.5810
Posted: Sun Jul 21 00:37:36 1985
Date-Received: Sun, 21-Jul-85 00:37:36 EDT
References: <9028@ucbvax.ARPA>, <490@calmasd.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 26

> ...Is there really a patent on the RSA algorithm?

Apparently.

> Is it legitimate?  (i.e., if challenged, would it hold up?)

Virtually any patent can be invalidated if you pour enough money into
lawyers' fees, nowadays.  Sad but true.  This one might be hard to crack;
R,S,&A can probably claim a genuine invention.

> ... Are we really talking about software, but
> leaving the impression that they have patented the algorithm?

They have probably patented a hardware implementation, and are assuming
that they can successfully sue imitators working in software.  They may
be right.

> How can anyone patent the mathematical concept of the intractability
> of prime factoring?

One can't.  The idea of using this to build a public-key encryption system,
however, would appear patentable.  Buckminster Fuller did not invent the
properties of polygons, but he successfully patented the geodesic dome.
-- 
				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
				{allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!henry