We may not be sponsored by a half-dozen dot coms, but we're going to have even more fun. :) If you're in the DC area, join us to toast the official end of the patent at midnight tonight. --Declan Peter Wayner and Declan McCullagh present The End of Patent 4,405,829 Party Wednesday, September 20, 2000 7 pm 'til the official end at midnight in Adams Morgan, Washington, DC Why: Some say that US Patent 4,405,829 suppressed a wonderful technology by giving one company a monopoly on an algorithm. Others say that the patent ensured that there was sufficient financial backing that helped develop the technology. RSA did use its legal rights under the patent to pressure Phil Zimmermann when he developed PGP. In any case, the debate is now over. Come celebrate the algorithm developed by Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir and Len Adleman that gave us privacy and authentication for the web. To RSVP and for directions, email declan@well.com or pcw@flyzone.com