Public Key Standards and Licenses

Status of this Memo

This RFC is a public statement by Public Key Partners regarding Public Key Standards and Licenses. This memo is for informational use only, and does not constitute an Internet standard. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Public Key Standards and Licenses

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University have recently granted Public Key Partners exclusive sublicensing rights to the following patents registered in the United States, and all of their corresponding foreign patents:

      Cryptographic Apparatus and Method
      ("Diffie-Hellman")............................... No. 4,200,770
      
      Public Key Cryptographic Apparatus
      and Method ("Hellman-Merkle").................... No. 4,218,582
      
      Cryptographic Communications System and
      Method ("RSA")................................... No. 4,405,829
      
      Exponential Cryptographic Apparatus
      and Method ("Hellman-Pohlig").................... No. 4,424,414

These patents cover all known methods of practicing the art of Public Key, including the variations collectively known as El Gamal.

Due to the broad acceptance of RSA digital signatures throughout the international community, Public Key Partners strongly endorses its incorporations in a digital signature standard. We assure the interested parties that Public Key Partners will comply with all of the policies of ANSI and the IEEE concerning the availability of licenses to practice this art. Specifically, in support of any RSA signature standard which may be adopted, Public Key Partners hereby gives its assurance that licenses to practice RSA signatures will be available under reasonable terms and conditions on a non- discriminatory basis.

We take this opportunity to thank all of those concerned for their collective efforts in making this technology readily available for commercial implementation.

                                           Public Key Partners
                                           
                                           By:  Robert B. Fougner
                                                Director of Licensing

Security Considerations

This memo discusses fair access to the use of public key technology to implement security.

Author's Address

Robert B. Fougner
Director of Licensing
Public Key Partners
130 B Kifer Court
Sunnyvale, CA 94086

   Phone:  (408) 735-6779