Found on alt.security.pgp. This might be worth researching and putting in a future PGP manual. While it wouldn't keep PKP from harassing commercial services into taking PGP down, it might help to keep keyservers and the like alive. This is a court decision that found the construction of a patented device for nonprofit purposes is not an infringement. From: cjohnst@xmission.com (Charles Johnston) Newsgroups: alt.security.pgp Subject: PGP could be perfectly legal in the United States!!!!! I was researching in the University of Utah law library nearby, and I found a case that talks about patents and private/experimental use. It's 73 Fed 206,211 if you're interested in looking it up. I haven't Shepardized it yet (found all future cases affecting the opinions), but here it is. This is Bonsack Mach. Co. v. Underwood Speaking of patents: "The making of an infringing machine merely as an experiment is not an actionable infringment..." and "To constitute an infringement, the making must be with an intent to use for profit, and not for the mere purpose of a philosophical experiment." This seems to say that PGP is okay to use! I would appreciate ANY comments! I will be researching this further REALLY soon! By the way, when was the RSA patent granted? They only last 17 years! Charles Johnston