RFC1170 - Public key standards and licenses

Network Working Group R. Fougner

Request for Comments: 1170 Public Key Partners

January 1991

Public Key Standards and Licenses

Status of this Memo

This RFCis 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