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From: devine@vianet.UUCP (Bob Devine)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Re: non-RSA public-key encryption systems
Message-ID: <200@vianet.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 9-Jul-87 15:59:17 EDT
Article-I.D.: vianet.200
Posted: Thu Jul  9 15:59:17 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 12-Jul-87 07:14:30 EDT
References: <8248@utzoo.UUCP> <12@nl.cs.cmu.edu>
Organization: Western Digital, Boulder Tech Ctr
Lines: 11
Summary: RSA Patent info

In article <12@nl.cs.cmu.edu> mlm@nl.cs.cmu.edu (Michael Mauldin) writes:
> [...] algorithms by themselves are not protectable.
>One way around this is to patent a system with an algorithm embedded in
>it.  The system then enjoys patent protection.  So ROM code in firmware
>is protected along with the rest of the device using it.

  [Doesn't this protection stem from the case where a manufacturer wanted
to protect a program that handled the curing of rubber?]

  It may be that the RSA algorithm is protected in this way.  The
algorithm HAS been issued a patent (Patent 4,405,829 held by MIT and
licensed by RSA Data Security Inc).

Bob Devine