[864] in Kerberos
RE: RSA
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Hank Nussbacher)
Wed Dec 27 21:26:57 1989
From: psuvm!barilvm!hank@PSUVAX1.CS.PSU.EDU (Hank Nussbacher)
To: kerberos@ATHENA.MIT.EDU
>From: Denis.Russell%newcastle.ac.uk@NSFNET-RELAY.AC.UK
>5) RSA is patented in the USA (except for the Government and
> MIT?).
>
> Interestingly, this patent apparently only applies WITHIN
> the USA, and use is free in the rest of the world. RSA Inc
> still hopes to sell related computer programs outside the
> USA, but it is not clear to me how this would avoid export
> embargoes mentioned in the next point.
>
>6) There are problems with exporting certain encryption
> "devices" from the USA. The situation is complex, but
> apparently applies to kerberos either with or without DES
> modules. Does this apply to software produced by RSA Inc,
> and if not, why not? (Yes, maybe I should read Alice in
> Wonderland with my daughter over Christmas!)
>
> Re-implementing the kerberos protocol may not be too
> difficult for us foreigners - we are already knee-deep in
> DES implementations :-)
RSA stands for Rivest Shamir Adelman. Shamir was at MIT on sabbatical
from Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. I would find it hard
to believe that the USA could put export regulations on the 1/3 of
RSA that was designed by a non-USA citizen.
Hank Nussbacher
Israel
