Has NIST provided other information on the Hitachi patent and the USG's evaluation of it other than Jim Foti's inscrutible comments on the discussion forum and similar inscrutibity in the R2 report? If this is all there is, it stinks of rancid red herring being called this year's never-you-mind perfume. Did Hitachi hold a gun to somebody's head, was a deal cut, is this an out held in reserve in case some fault is discovered in Rijndael, was means found to modify Rijndael to meet Hitachi's demand that has not been disclosed, is the patent claim a fiction, a mistake, a blowing of smoke. Have the authors of Rijndael commented on Hitachi's claim? A little people wants to know what the big people are hiding, or acting like they know we itty bittys don't have a clue about, about how crypto is far too important to tell the truth about, big gov and biz having their own claims on NDA, patent, copyright, personal cum national security, Ermil's cayenne, and stuff so hot if you knew you'd spin too and call it truth. The R2 report is so damn reasonable only a fool would cavil what's this fishy smell.