From: doug@netcom4.netcom.com (Doug Merritt)
Date: Wed, 1 Sep 93 10:39:23 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Encryption policies of Fidnet, etc.
Message-ID: <9309011736.AA22359@netcom4.netcom.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


khijol!erc@apple.com (Ed Carp) said:
>I hate to jump into the fray, but according to Public Key Partners, if you
>use RSA for educational, (etc.) purposes, you are not infringing on their
>patent.
>
It has long been held that there is an exemption to 'patent infringment'
>for educational or other "non-commercial" uses.

Hmm. I would love to interpret this as meaning that I can freely use
their technology in freeware software that I write for and release to
the net. However there would seem to be reason to doubt this. ;-)

Any opinions on how much/how little one could get away with on such things?
Would it make a difference if the piece of software were intended for
a focused education/research area (say groupware research) rather than
being highly general (as a mailer is)?

I'm less familiar with patent exemptions than copyright exemptions, so
this is all somewhat opaque to me.

And there's always the old issue of whether someone will be motivated to
sue you, and whether you want to spend time & money on defense, quite aside
from the hypothetical legality or illegality that might eventually be
established. Urk.
	Doug