Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.3 4.3bsd-beta 6/6/85; site ucbvax.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!ucbvax!phr From: phr@ucbvax.ARPA (Paul Rubin) Newsgroups: net.crypt Subject: RSA cryptographic algorithm patented? Message-ID: <9028@ucbvax.ARPA> Date: Fri, 12-Jul-85 21:46:40 EDT Article-I.D.: ucbvax.9028 Posted: Fri Jul 12 21:46:40 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 13-Jul-85 16:34:16 EDT Organization: University of California at Berkeley Lines: 38 The following letter appeared in the July, 1985 issue of BYTE magazine. I did not read the article that it refers to, but I find it ironic that after the inventors of RSA fought so hard to prevent the Government from classifying their work, they now are trying to use the patent system to suppress its widespread use. The letter: As part of his article titled "Implementing Cryptographic Algorithms on Microcomputers" (October 1984, page 126), Charles Kluepfel described an implementation of the RSA Public Key algorithm and the BASIC code required. Unfortunately, he did not reference that this RSA Public Key Cryptosystem was patented by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1983 (U.S. Patent 4,405,829). The worldwide exclusive license to this patent was then purchased from MIT by RSA Security Inc., a company founded by the inventors of the RSA algorithm to develop this technology. Because the RSA algorithm has been published in academic journals, most people assume that it is in the public domain, similar to the DES algorithm. Unfortunately, some people have developed software and other products based on the RSA algorithm without researching this point. Nevertheless, the patent exists and, in the opinion of our corporate attorneys, will be easily defended. As RSA Security Inc. paid a great deal of money for the exclusive patent rights, we plan to actively police the commercial use of the RSA algorithm. The purpose of this letter is not to criticize either Mr. Kluepfel or BYTE for his article. Rather, the purpose is to make you aware of our patent position and ask for your help in educating your readership as to its existence. Based on Mr. Kluepfel's article, more people are going to start expending money and effort developing RSA-based software for commercial purposes. Regrettably, their effort will be wasted unless they obtain a sublicense from us. Therefore, we suggest you publish a reference to our patent in a future issue of BYTE to protect your readers from this lack of knowledge. Ralph Bennett President RSA Security Inc. Sunnyvale, CA 94087