Subject: patents?

From: Ulf Möller <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 21:30:31 +0200

From the PGP documentation: "Network Associates INc. may have patens and/or
pentding patent applications covering subject matter in this software or
its documentation; the furnishing of this software or documentation does not
give you any license to these patents." Does anybody know what that refers
to?

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From: "William H. Geiger III" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 15:05:15 -0500

In <[email-masked]>, on 05/31/00 
   at 01:30 PM, Ulf M”ller <[email-masked]> said:

>its documentation; the furnishing of this software or documentation does
>not give you any license to these patents." Does anybody know what that
>refers to?

Probably just standard boilerplate. They are just putting you on notice
that by publishing their source code they are not giving up any rights
that the may hold on the code.

-- 
---------------------------------------------------------------
William H. Geiger III      http://www.openpgp.net  
Geiger Consulting    

Data Security & Cryptology Consulting
Programming, Networking, Analysis
 
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---------------------------------------------------------------

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From: Rodney Thayer <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 16:46:24 -0700

Being as no evil lawyers from NAI or elsewhere have swooped down on this
list or on the IETF I'd say it's safe for now.

At 03:05 PM 5/31/00 -0500, William H. Geiger III wrote:
>    at 01:30 PM, Ulf M"ller <[email-masked]> said:
>

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From: Dave Crocker <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 31 May 2000 17:24:40 -0700

>>that the may hold on the code.

You are both being far too optimistic.  While it is possible that you are 
correct, it is equally possible -- and many would say more likely -- that 
patents are, in fact, held or being prosecuted.

The IETF has had some patents emerge very late in the process, so the 
concern is not academic.

d/

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Dave Crocker  <[email-masked]>
Brandenburg Consulting  <www.brandenburg.com>
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