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From: jewett@hpl-opus.UUCP
Newsgroups: comp.misc
Subject: Re: Re: public key encryption and RSA patent status
Message-ID: <1410001@hpl-opus.HP.COM>
Date: Fri, 18-Sep-87 15:05:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: hpl-opus.1410001
Posted: Fri Sep 18 15:05:30 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 20-Sep-87 14:35:38 EDT
References: <25@nl.cs.cmu.edu>
Organization: HP Labs, Instrument Tech. Dept.
Lines: 48

> Not wanting to spend the time or money to ask the patent office for a
> copy of the patent, I hoped I could find out on the net.  Does anyone
> know specifically what the Patent was granted for/what they claimed?
> Michael L. Mauldin (Fuzzy)		Department of Computer Science

From my mouldy archives...

/***** hpl-opus:net.crypt / mit-eddi!baldwin /  6:16 am  Jul 25, 1985*/
To:	Whom It May Concern
From:	Ronald L. Rivest 
	NE43-324, 545 Technology Square, 
	MIT Laboratory for Computer Science
	Cambridge Mass. 02139
	(Phone: 617-253-5880, ARPA: RIVEST@MIT-MC)
Date:	July 22, 1985
Re:	RSA Patent

This letter is in response to a number of inquiries that were received
regarding the RSA cryptosystem, stimulated by recent articles and letters
in BYTE magazine (and elsewhere).

Yes, the RSA cryptosystem is patented, by MIT.  The U.S. patent number is
4,405,829.  To my knowledge there are no foreign patents.  If you read the
patent, you will discover that it is not an "algorithm" patent.  It does
not matter how (i.e. with what algorithm) the RSA computation is performed,
only that the cryptographic communications system has black boxes for doing
that computation.  I believe the patent is well-drafted and would stand
up to challenge easily.  It covers both software and hardware implementations.

MIT has granted an exclusive sublicense on the patent to a new company
called "RSA Security, Inc.".  This company was founded by the inventors
of the RSA cryptosystem (myself, Adi Shamir, and Len Adleman).  The objective
of the company is to commercialize and exploit the RSA cryptosystem, through
a variety of techniques, including direct end-user product sales (software
systems such as COMSAFE (TM) and MAILSAFE (TM) for the IBM PC), 
sales custom chips for performing RSA computations, consulting for 
integrating RSA into applications, joint venture arrangements, sublicenses,
standards, etc.  

RSA Security is eager to work with those who have an interest in using 
the RSA cryptosystem.  If you would like more information, please contact
either myself or
	Ralph Bennett
	President, RSA Security Inc.
	1717 Karameos Drive
	Sunnyvale, California 94087
	(408) 730-8701
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