Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!husc6!bbn!oberon!cit-vax!lim From: lim@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu (Kian-Tat Lim) Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac Subject: Re: Encryption Summary: RSA is patented Keywords: RSA, public key encryption Message-ID: <7644@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu> Date: 19 Aug 88 08:13:52 GMT References: <7596@trwrb.UUCP> <870215@hpcilzb.HP.COM> <6149@spool.cs.wisc.edu> <786@osupyr.mast.ohio-state.edu> <6154@spool.cs.wisc.edu> Reply-To: lim@cit-vax.UUCP (Kian-Tat Lim) Organization: California Institute of Technology Lines: 14 One of the things from sci.crypt that people with/requesting this source code may be interested in is that the RSA cryptosystem is patented. Although an algorithm cannot be patented, MIT has patented just about every application of the algorithm to cryptography. This patent has been assigned to RSA Data Security, Inc., whose address and telephone number are given in a recent message in sci.crypt. Any implementation of the RSA method is likely to be an infringement of the patent, and rumor has it that the patent holders are vigorously protecting it. I am not a lawyer or patent attorney; the information in this article is my personal understanding of a number of recent postings on sci.crypt. -- Kian-Tat Lim, ktl@wagvax.caltech.edu, KTL @ CITCHEM.BITNET, GEnie: K.LIM1