From: jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>
Date: Fri, 21 Jun 1996 21:27:34 +0800
To: Intense <exalt@miworld.net>
Subject: Re: Current status of RSA patent...
Message-ID: <199606210424.VAA28110@mail.pacifier.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


At 05:32 PM 6/20/96 -0400, Intense wrote:
>On Thu, 20 Jun 1996, jim bell wrote:
>
>> At 10:59 AM 6/20/96 -0400, Intense wrote:
>> >
>> >does not matter - it will be renewed in the interest of the government
>> >The goverment want's there backdoor...  would you expect less?
>> 
>> As far as I know, patents can't be "renewed."  I've heard they can be 
>> "re-issued," amended, but to my knowledge that doesn't extend their term.
>
>That is probably true...  But, i am sure that goverment is going to want 
>to keep there backdoors, they have showed no interest in it's citizens 
>priviciy as of yet...  and i doubt they have changed... 

Yes, it's true.  I happen to believe that the only purpose the government 
had in granting patents on public key and RSA is to help keep it from the 
public.  They did a fair job, but the patents expire in 1-4 years and it'll 
be too late by then.  Their attempts to foist the Clipper standard on us 
didn't work.

Jim Bell
jimbell@pacifier.com