Re: undefined MAY algorithm example (Re: Question and note)

[Uri Blumenthal <uri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Paul Lambert says:
> >So I doubt that open-pgp will be able to include ECC.
> 
> If open-pgp contains RSA why can't it contain ECC?

Because today it is possible to have a free and legal
implementation of RSA. But it is not possible to have
a free and legal implementation of ECC. 

Several people and companies have various patents, the
rumor is that even some CURVES have been patented - so
how would you suggest the implementors of free 
software to deal with it? In my view the
simplest is to just leave that mirky
thing alone.

> ECC is an option in open-pgp and not mandatory. It is a very useful option
> that should have equal status to other patented algorithms.

I don't argue the usefulness of ECC - only its [in]availability for
the free code developers.

> Certicom has
> very reasonable licensing terms (as compared to other un-named companies
> with three letter acronyms in their names).  

Here we are not talking about commercial licensing.

> Certicom would issue a
> non-commercial use license for ECC in open-pgp that would allow broad
> "personal use" by the open-pgp community. 

That would be THE way. How close is Certicom to actually formulating
the non-commercial Personal Use Only license?

Oh, and is it true that there are other (non-Certicom) patents (such as
on the individual curves themselves etc.) that may require licensing
and thus may affect the free software developers? I assume that
Certicom might be aware of what parts of the field are 
covered, and if so - might be nice enough to share
that info?

> Certicom would charge for
> business use of ECC in open-pgp at our very low rates (we have to find some
> way to hordes of Ph.D. mathematicians in our research labs).

Of course. Nobody objects to that.

> In reviewing the specification, it does appear that some additional details
> would be useful to better define ECC in open-pgp.  I will try to get some
> of our cryptographers to submit some algorithm and parameter related text.

Cool. Thanks for the good news!
-- 
Regards,
Uri		uri@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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