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From: patwood@esquire.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.os.minix
Subject: Re: Look and feel problem?
Message-ID: <52@esquire.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 28-Feb-87 10:40:06 EST
Article-I.D.: esquire.52
Posted: Sat Feb 28 10:40:06 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 1-Mar-87 16:30:46 EST
References: <17300@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> <242@mcdsun.UUCP> <5632@brl-smoke.ARPA>
Organization: DP&W, New York, NY
Lines: 22
Summary: "dedicated to the public"

In article <5632@brl-smoke.ARPA>, gwyn@brl-smoke.ARPA (Doug Gwyn ) writes:
> In article <242@mcdsun.UUCP> fnf@mcdsun.UUCP (Fred Fish) writes:
> >On a related note, it is my understanding that Dennis Ritchie holds a
> >patent on the suid bit implementation ...
> 
> It's my understanding that this patent was "dedicated"
> (hope I got that right) some time ago, meaning that anyone
> is allowed to use the patented process without royalty.

All patents are "dedicated to the public" in that the information in them
is published and available from the US Patent & Copyright Office.  The
*information* is public; however, the right to use it is still owned by
the inventor and must be licensed.  I'm not saying that AT&T does or doesn't
require someone to license the SUID patent to use it; that's up to them to
decide.  By the way, if you're interested in reading the patent itself,
it is listed in Appendix L of "UNIX System Security" by Pat Wood (me, I
humbly admit) and Steve Kochan, my partner, published by Howard Sams
and Company (formerly published by Hayden Book Co., now defunct).

Pat Wood
Pipeline Associates, Inc.
{bellcore,motown,cmcl2!esquire}!phw5!phw