Elliptic crypto is patented

[rishab@dxm.ernet.in]

Eric asks whether elliptic encryption might not be a solution to the world's
patenting woes.

Last April, schirado@lab.cc.wmich.edu (Schirado) asked whether anyone was 
interested in trying an implementation. I was relatively free of work at that
time, and volunteered. Then I got busy; IAC it appeared far too slow for
software.

Read: _An Implementation of Elliptic Curve Cryptosystems Over F-2-155_ , 
IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Vol. 11, #5, June 1993 
(page 804).

Incidentally Next Computer's Fast Elliptic Encryption, FEE, used
elliptic curves, and is patented (by R E Crandell, USP# 5,159,632,27 October 
1992); also, elliptic crypto is probably covered by the DH/PKP patents.


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