Re: Markoff in NYT on NTT/RSA chip

[frantz@netcom.com (Bill Frantz)]

At 12:08 PM 6/4/96 -0500, Paul Robichaux wrote:
>2. Markoff's story says that NTT doesn't have licenses to use RSA
>technology (the quote from Junichi Kishigami), but the bit about safely
>swapping private-key info makes me wonder if instead they're using DH-- the
>patent for which expires next year. A telecom chipset could make productive
>use of DH for key exchange at call setup.

They could use RSA for key exchange outside the USA because RSA is only
patented in the USA.  With a license for RSA they could also sell them in
the USA.  My reading of the New York Times article is compatible with the
view that Jim Bidzos is driving a hard bargin for such a license. 
(However, the article does say that NTT has already sold chips to IBM in
the US.  I guess you can sell, but not deliver, until you get the license.)

Obviously if you are outside the USA, you will buy your equipment from
Japan Inc.  US manfactures will be frozen out.  (However the US can still
compete for the Chinese market since such privacy will be illegal there
:-). )


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