Conditional Grant of Rights to Specific Hewlett-Packard Patents

In Conjunction With the Internet Engineering Task Force's

Internet-Standard Network Management Framework

Status of This Memo

This memo provides information for the Internet community. This memo does not specify an Internet standard of any kind. Distribution of this memo is unlimited.

Note:

This document is NOT a standard. It is an announcement to interested parties of a conditional grant by the Hewlett-Packard Company (HP) of certain rights to use autotopology network management technology covered by specific HP patents in conjunction with the Internet Engineering Task Force's (IETF's) Internet-standard network management framework.

Purpose

This grant is made to help facilitate inclusion of certain patented search address technology covering network device mapping in IETF standards-track Management Information Base (MIB) modules. HP is offering this search address technology to the IETF as a technique for mapping network devices. It should be noted that the confirmatory license mentioned is optional, since the grant of rights is automatic.

A Grant of Rights to Hewlett-Packard US Patents 5,293,635 and 5,421,024

HP hereby covenants that it will not assert any claims in US Patents 5,293,635, 5,421,024, any continuations, divisions, or continuations-in-part of either, or any non-US counterparts of any of the foregoing against any party that makes, uses, sells, imports, or offers for sale, an implementation of an IETF standards-track MIB module that includes HP's contributed search address technology, or any derivative of that contribution, provided that the MIB module is employed to implement the Internet-standard network management framework. Such grant of rights is limited in that it does not include a right to incorporate such HP search address technology into proprietary MIB modules.

This grant of rights will permanently terminate with respect to any party (and to any subsidiary of a party) that asserts a patent it owns or controls, either directly or indirectly, against HP or any of its subsidiaries for implementation of, or operation of any system utilizing, search address technology. The termination of rights will occur as of the date the patent is asserted against HP.

A written confirmation of this grant, and/or a license under any other HP patent under HP's then-current terms, conditions, and royalty rates, can be obtained by sending a request to:

Patent Counsel
Hewlett-Packard Company
3000 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304
USA

Security Considerations

Security issues are not discussed in this memo.

Authors' Addresses

Gary McAnally
Hewlett-Packard Company
8000 Foothills Blvd.
Roseville, CA 95747
USA

Douglas Gilbert
Hewlett-Packard Company
3000 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304
USA

   John Flick
   Hewlett-Packard Company
   8000 Foothills Blvd. M.S. 5556
   Roseville, CA 95747-5556
   USA
   
   Phone: (916) 785-4018
   EMail: johnf@hprnd.rose.hp.com