Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!brl-adm!umd5!mimsy!aplcen!osiris!mjr
From: mjr@osiris.UUCP (Marcus J. Ranum)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt,comp.misc
Subject: Re: public key encryption and RSA patent status
Message-ID: <1399@osiris.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 27-Sep-87 11:35:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: osiris.1399
Posted: Sun Sep 27 11:35:22 1987
Date-Received: Mon, 28-Sep-87 03:52:55 EDT
References: <106@lll-risky.arpa>
Organization: My Etch-A-Sketch runs X-Windows
Lines: 34
Keywords: RSA patent
Summary: WHATA?!?!!?!
Xref: mnetor sci.crypt:582 comp.misc:1347

In article <106@lll-risky.arpa>, tjt@lll-risky.arpa (Tim Tessin) writes:

> [...] how one might implement a crypto-system without infringment, the
> legal-eagles say you're screwed.  (This is if you are a commercial
> venture.  Exactly what the U.S. Government has as patent rights are
> still being determined.  The research was partly funded by
> the U.S. Government and it retains some rights.)

***>>>>TORCH ALERT<<<<***

	If the research was partly funded by government grants, is it not
then the case that the TAXPAYERS own part of it ? I thought the procedure
would then be that it HAS to be available through the US Government printing
agency, at cost ?! 

	Let's be real - the US Government ("for the people" and all that shit)
keeps spending the taxpayer's money on stuff like DARPA and UCB's grants, and
then lets people go Copyright the work, or patent it. Has anyone ever tried
to make an issue out of this ? Who said that the government could waive its
share of the rights to RSA ?

***>>>>FLAME OFF<<<<***

--mjr();

PS - I *KNOW* (before you flame me) that the preceeding was totally idealistic
and unrealistic. I like to occasionally make such postings/flames so that at
least some of the readers on the net will get an idea of how badly the amerikan
publik gets boned up the a** by its government.
-- 
If they think you're crude, go technical; if they think you're technical,
go crude. I'm a very technical boy. So I get as crude as possible. These
days, though, you have to be pretty technical before you can even aspire
to crudeness...			         -Johnny Mnemonic