NIST tries to grant RSA Data Security an exclusive patent for DSS

[John Gilmore <gnu () eff org>]

Note that Public Key Partners is just a front for RSA Data Security.

The deal seems to be that it isn't clear if the DSS is truly patentable;
PKP has been claiming it infringes one of their patents.  So if PKP drops
its objection, the patent will issue -- and will then belong to PKP.

This is a far cry from the way the DES patent was handled -- it was
given to the public for free by IBM and the government.  And one of
the original aims of NIST's DSS was for an algorithm that would be
freely available to everyone without licensing.  But some evil spirit
(Ray Kammer?) seems to have taken over at NIST, a nominally benign
organization, which has suddenly become more concerned with violating
its citizens' privacy than with producing usable cryptographic standards.

Indeed, if PKP is going to own the patent, NIST might as well have
standardized on RSA instead of DSA, like everyone wanted them to.

Note that the terms about "noninfringing parties" means that everyone
who currently uses Phil Zimmerman's PGP is excluded from the terms below.

I suggest that any reader who's outraged, send written comments TODAY
as explained below.  Don't let the 35 U.S.C. gobbledygook stop you.
Lawyerly types will deal with that end of it; just you get your
rage down on paper and send it to the government.  Cc your Congressman
and Senators.  ("Senator Joebob, Washington DC" will do the job.)

        John Gilmore
        gnu () eff org