From: Secret Squirrel <nobody@secret.squirrel.owl.de>
Date: Fri, 30 May 1997 03:25:59 +0800
To: cypherpunks@algebra.com
Subject: Re: US grants export license for PGP
Message-ID: <19970529174833.14957.qmail@squirrel.owl.de>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> Joey Grasty writes:
> > At 08:00 PM 5/28/97 -0700, Lucky Green wrote:
>
> > >PGP crypto approved for export
> >
> > Alright, what's the catch?  What kind of GAK does PGP have to
> > stick in to get this approval?  Encyphering minds want to know...
>
> The catch is that the license only extends to business use by
> subsidiaries of certain large US corporations.
>
> See PGPInc's press release at: http://www.pgp.com/newsroom/prel34.cgi

Well that sure got buried by the "Truth Above All Else (tm)" press. Not
surprising however.

>
> It may be moot since some versions of PGP are available around the
> world, but this strikes me as patently unfair to all those companies
> not big enough to be on The List.
>
> On the other hand, maybe this is the beginning of the end.  It seems
> to me that it will be difficult now to deny a similar license to
> Netscape or Microsoft or...

We have so many laws in this country, doesn't one of them prevent
"discrimination" based on dollar value of corporation? ;)

How about extortion... "You must be a large company paying buttloads in
taxes and making sizeable contributions to the administration to receive
license to use PGP overseas..."

Can't we use this against them and force the license to be extended to
everyone?

>
> -- Jeff (currently employed by a Real Company :-)
>

-- Mr. E (not employed by a Sellout^H^H^H^H^H^H^HReal Company)