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- From: bontchev@fbihh.informatik.uni-hamburg.de (Vesselin Bontchev)
- Subject: Public key patents in Europe?
- Message-ID: <bontchev.718919860@fbihh>
- Sender: news@informatik.uni-hamburg.de (Mr. News)
- Reply-To: bontchev@fbihh.informatik.uni-hamburg.de
- Organization: Virus Test Center, University of Hamburg
- Date: 12 Oct 92 19:57:40 GMT
- Lines: 40
-
- I know that this is probably the wrong group to ask, but
- nevertheless, here it goes.
-
- From the RSA FAQ, page 4, answer to question 1.5:
-
- "The authors of patent 4,218,582 claim that it applies to all uses of
- public-key cryptography. It has been patented throughout the world."
-
- The claims in patent 4,218,582 cover any use of public key
- cryptosystems - regardless of the method used. Seems that the whole
- idea is patented. (Please do not start a flame war about how stupid a
- patent law that permits an algorithm to be patented is.)
-
- What bothers me are the words "throughout the world". Till now, I
- thought that it only applies in the USA. So I asked the following
- question to the editor of the RSA FAQ:
-
- > Could you please quote some other countries (besides the USA),
- > where public-key cryptography has been patented? Please, state
- > the particular patent numbers.
-
- In his reply, Paul Fahn wrote:
-
- > I do not currently have the exact information. I know that it is
- > patented "in Europe" but don't have the number. If there are others
- > asking for this information, I will try to find out and add it to
- > later revisions of the faq.
-
- Well, so I am asking those of you who are "in Europe": do you have any
- information about the above? Could you tell me in which countries
- exactly public-key cryptography is patented and which are the patent
- numbers? Thanks in advance.
-
- Regards,
- Vesselin
- --
- Vesselin Vladimirov Bontchev Virus Test Center, University of Hamburg
- Tel.:+49-40-54715-224, Fax: +49-40-54715-226 Fachbereich Informatik - AGN
- < PGP 2.0 public key available on request. > Vogt-Koelln-Strasse 30, rm. 107 C
- e-mail: bontchev@fbihh.informatik.uni-hamburg.de D-2000 Hamburg 54, Germany
-