AES for GnuPG, on Mon Oct 2?

Michael H. Warfield mhw at wittsend.com
Sun Oct 1 23:41:37 CEST 2000


On Sun, Oct 01, 2000 at 07:18:14PM -0700, Dale Harris wrote:
> On Sun, Oct 01, 2000 at 10:00:36PM +0200, Florian Weimer elucidated:

> > http://csrc.nist.gov/encryption/aes/pre-round1/aes_9709.htm#sec2d
> > 
> > "[...] NIST has determined that potential users of the AES desire to
> > have the AES available worldwide on a royalty free basis."


> Sure, how often has a public "desired" something just to have their
> government do something entirely different.  I won't hold my breath for
> the NIST to do the right thing when it is part of the same government that
> the NSA and FBI are a part.  But obviously things do sound encouraging.

	This is one the AES front page <http://csrc.nist.gov/encryption/aes/>:

] SPECIAL NOTE - Intellectual Property 
] 	NIST reminds all interested parties that the adoption of AES is
] 	being conducted as an open standards-setting activity.  Specifically,
] 	NIST has requested that all interested parties identify to NIST
] 	any patents or inventions that may be required for the use of
] 	AES. NIST hereby gives public notice that it may seek redress
] 	under the antitrust laws of the United States against any party
] 	in the future who might seek to exercise patent rights against
] 	any user of AES that have not been disclosed to NIST in response
] 	to this request for information. 

	I think that this is a warning that anyone who does NOT notify
NIST of ANY IP encumberances is going to be in deep legal shit.  Doesn't
sound to me like they are picking any bones here.  Hitachi has already
chimed in and claimed patent on a couple of the candidates, which are now
basically "dead men walking".  We shall know, in a few hours...

> Dale

	Mike
-- 
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