RSA Data Security, Inc. To Exclusively License Rights to RSA
Here's the latest press release from my employer. As was pointed out earlier, for those who did not already know, Business Wire articles are written by companies and distributed to news agencies by BW for a fee. --Bob Baldwin ______________________________ RSA Data Security, Inc. To Exclusively License Rights to RSA Public Key Encryption and Digital Signature Standard (DSS) Technologies; Company Becomes One-Stop Worldwide Source for Encryption Technology REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 1995--RSA Data Security, Inc. today announced that it is now licensing patents for the Digital Signature Standard (DSS), the U.S. government standard for digital signatures. RSA also announced that it has renewed its exclusive licensing agreement for the industry-standard Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) public key cryptosystem developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). With the addition of DSS technology to its portfolio of encryption offerings, RSA Data Security has become the exclusive source for the industry's most widely accepted security technologies. RSA also announced that under its uniform, non-discriminatory licensing plan, manufacturers will pay a one-time royalty when they sell products containing RSA and/or DSS technology. No additional per-certificate or use charges are required. `For the first time, the patents covering the most popular encryption and digital signature methods in the world, RSA and DSS, are easily available on a non-discriminatory basis from a single vendor,` said Jim Bidzos, president of RSA. `By offering one-stop shopping for both systems, our customers can seamlessly integrate both RSA encryption and DSS digital signature methods into their products.` Widespread Implementation Many of RSA's software licensees -- such as Adobe, Aquila, Atalla, National Semiconductor, Spyrus, Premenos, Spyglass, Terisa Systems, Frontier Technologies, BroadVision, Checkpoint Software, Raptor Systems, SafeCo Insurance, Wollongong, Square D, Interval Systems, and Comm-Press -- have already requested patent licenses to both the RSA and DSS techniques for use in software and hardware systems. IBM and Siemens currently offer DSS-based products, licensed under RSA's DSS patent, to the U.S. government. `Now that vendors can obtain DSS and RSA patents from one source, we expect to see companies throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan incorporate RSA and DSS technology into dozens of products, including access control systems, network management systems, smart cards, link encryptors, and wireless encryption devices,` said Bidzos. `The demand for these technologies is very strong and will continue to grow as vendors increasingly incorporate security features into their products. In the next several months we expect to be inundated with requests from licensees. This is great news for the security industry, which has waited patiently for easy availability of the RSA and DSS patents.` Digital Signatures A digital signature on an electronic document is an encrypted form of data equivalent to a signature on a printed document, such as a contract or other commercial agreement. It verifies that the document is valid and unaltered, and that the person signing the document has agreed to its terms. Furthermore, secure digital signatures cannot be repudiated. The signer of a document cannot disown it by claiming it was forged. Both DSS and RSA support digital signatures and certificates. Several states, including California and Utah have recently enacted legislation recognizing digital signatures as legally binding. License Availability Uniform licenses to both the RSA and DSS/Schnorr patents are available immediately. The license text, as well as other information regarding these patents, is available on RSA Data Security's home page at http://www.rsa.com. For existing customers of RSA's BSAFE and TIPEM software toolkits, no separate patent licenses are required. All rights under the patents to use, integrate and copy RSA's software are embedded. RSA Data Security, Inc. RSA Data Security, Inc. is the world's brand name for cryptography, with more than 15 million copies of RSA encryption and authentication technologies installed and in use worldwide. RSA technologies are part of existing and proposed standards for the Internet and World Wide Web, CCITT, ISO, ANSI, IEEE, and business, financial and electronic commerce networks around the globe. The company develops and markets platform-independent developers kits and end-user products and provides comprehensive cryptographic consulting services. Founded in 1982 by the inventors of the RSA Public Key Cryptosystem, the company is headquartered in Redwood City, Calif. -0- Note to Editors: RSA Public Key Cryptosystem, BSAFE and TIPEM are trademarks of RSA Data Security, Inc. All other product or company names are trademarks of their respective corporations. For information regarding licensing RSA or DSS patents, contact Paul Livesay at RSA Data Security, Inc. (415) 595-8782, or polrsa.com. For information regarding licensing RSA or DSS toolkits, contact Paul Gordon at RSA Data Security, Inc. (415) 595-8782, or paulrsa.com. --30--kr/sf.. CONTACT: Corman/Croel Marketing & Communications Patrick Corman, 415/326-9648 cormancerf.net Lisa Croel, 415/326-0487 lcroelmediacity.com KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA INDUSTRY KEYWORD: COMPUTERS/ELECTRONICS COMED TELECOMMUNICATIONS PRODUCT REPEATS: New York 212-575-8822 or 800-221-2462; Boston 617-236-4266 or 800-225-2030; SF 415-986-4422 or 800-227-0845; LA 310-820-9473 BW URL: http://www.hnt.com/bizwire AP-NY-10-12-95 0701EDT This material is copyrighted and may not be republished without permission of the originating newspaper or wire service. NewsHound is a service of the San Jose Mercury News. For more information call 1-800-818-NEWS.
"baldwin" <baldwin@RSA.COM (Robert W. Baldwin)> writes:
REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 1995--RSA Data Security, Inc. today announced that it is now licensing patents for the Digital Signature Standard (DSS), the U.S. government standard for digital signatures.
I'm sure that everyone will join me in a rousing Bronx cheer for RSA as they continue their efforts to monopolise public key cryptography. If they truly have a patent on DSS this will be yet another important algorithm for which people have to get RSA's permission. RSA is fast entering the list of such well loved institutions as the Post Office and the Internal Revenue Service as one of those places you can't avoid dealing with no matter how you try. "Ever been sued for patent infringement? You will! And the company that will stick it to you? RSA." Hal, the intemperate.
RSA Data Security, Inc. today announced that it is now licensing patents for the Digital Signature Standard (DSS), the U.S. government standard for digital signatures.
I believe someone was suing the U.S. government on the grounds that the public signature standard wasn't supposed to require proprietary technology. Has this gone anywhere yet? -- Eli Brandt eli+@cs.cmu.edu
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baldwin -
Eli Brandt -
Hal