Re: RSA and libcrypt for COMMERCIAL use

[Craig Metz <cmetz@inner.net>]

In message <v03130300b430dfc014ad@oogaboogabog>, you write:
>The research funding behind the development of the RSA algorithm was US
>Federal money, via the US Navy & the National Science Foundation.  As a
>consequence of this, US Federal Agencies have free use of the algorithm.

  This is not typically the case for patents. Unless it was specifically
negotiated and set in a contract, I don't believe that the US Government has
any rights to patents developed on contract. Researchers and beltway bandits
frequently charge the government for the R&D leading to a patent and then
charge the government again for its use. Compare to copyrights, where the
US Govt typically has "Unlimited Rights" (which is fuzzily defined) to things
developed on contract (note: non-government entities typically get research
funding as a sort of contract work).

  The US Government (and especially the DoD) has some very broad licensing
arrangements already negotiated and in place with RSADSI and others with
regards to all sorts of crypto stuff. So it is possible that the government
just has one heck of a site license already.

									-Craig