From: khijol!erc@apple.com (Ed Carp)
Date: Wed, 1 Sep 93 10:14:23 PDT
To: jazz@hal.com (Jason Zions)
Subject: Re: Encryption policies of Fidnet, etc.
In-Reply-To: <9309011520.AA19223@jazz.hal.com>
Message-ID: <m0oXvA1-00028TC@warrior>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text


> 
>  JTD> It is illegal to encrypt messages period.
>  JTD> E-mail encryption is illegal
> 
> >Depends on your network and where you live.
> 
> >It is illegal to use PGP in the United States due to its use of a
> >copyrighted algoritm.  It is *NOT* illegal to use it anywhere else in 
> >the world.  Other encryption methods are legal.
> 
> Jeez, talk about misinformation.
> 
> If it were copyright, then a US copyright is indeed restrictive world-wide;
> that's the point of the Berne Convention.
> 
> However, it's not copyright; it's pretty tought to copyright an algorithm,
> all one can do is copyright the exact expression of one implementation of
> that algorithm. What's involved here is a patent, which is (as you note) not
> binding outside the US.
> 
> Finally, is it certain that PGP indeed infringes on a valid patent?
> 
> >... Get the facts first - you can distort them later!
> 
> Ah. This explains much.

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.
-- 
Ed Carp				erc@apple.com			510/659-9560

If you want magic, let go of your armor.  Magic is so much stronger than
steel!        -- Richard Bach, "The Bridge Across Forever"