-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Since Skipjack is protected by a secrecy order, the NSA can patent the algorithm without disclosing it. As soon as it is reverse-engineered, the patent is officially issued and expires 17 years from the time it was issued. GATT now changes the patent laws so that a patent expires 20 years after application. Does anyone know how this will affect the Skipjack patent? If the secrecy order is considered application, then that would shorten the lifetime of the patent considerably (assuming it isn't disclosed or reverse- engineered any time soon). I doubt this is the case, and I suspect that either the 17 year lifetime will still apply or the patent will expire 20 years after the patent is issued. TIA. Mark - -- finger -l for PGP key PGP encrypted mail prefered. 0xf9b22ba5 now revoked -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3 Charset: noconv iQEVAwUBMpoTWyzIPc7jvyFpAQFHywf8Do9Fni5GC0kfL0XR7FGM6yLhVwLNgf4h XJZlpMMML46MWmmqwjfJnCgi+ktMQMHxTT2mCYA2eIzEBq0FbAc8M9340Xkx0KPH L1qi2tQ1ZCKnUdVWYENYL65uJAk4dB3lgsnmBJwNb80GD3tP6LVSq5wFSa2pz/Pu 3HO5YNUHmTfvrtZE2wt/7CMwJNxEPTKpTGAbDnwkri6y2u2aDrUD1nhnlfzqUz86 85TNTIpqPo06d3g1wKSKmddwqYeu3kpyu0khdUzS5rjj/7sJAECLQi2IlXkXOLjo OsaKG+sl9UNSYn9wrU+HvE9BbhlmC4B1sfOHPBqJDQ405QWurQHSZg== =sRxa -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----