Subject: [Disman] Patents on MIBs?

From: "Jan Engfeldt (EAB)" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 15:35:42 +0100

Hello,

I been told that the DISMAN MIB is patented by Nortel, is this correct?

regards
Jan Engfeldt
SPM Management Solutions
Phone:+46850876315
Mobile: +46702674650
Fax: +46859436030

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From: "Randy Presuhn" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2003 23:22:26 -0800

Hi -

> From: "Jan Engfeldt (EAB)" <[email-masked]>
> To: <[email-masked]>; <[email-masked]>
> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2003 6:35 AM
> Subject: [Disman] Patents on MIBs?
>

> I been told that the DISMAN MIB is patented by Nortel, is this correct?

There are several different RFCs and internet-drafts produced by the disman
working group which contain MIB modules.  Nortel Networks submitted a
statement (see http://www.ietf.org/ietf/IPR/NORTEL-CHISOLM for details)
with respect to <draft-chisholm-disman-active-alarm-00.txt>, which was an
input into the Alarm MIB work, currently returned to the working group after
AD-review, soon to be in working group last call once again.

I do not know whether Nortel Networks has actually sought patent protection for this
technology, I do not know what a patent has been granted, and do I do not know
whether they believe that technology is essential for (or even relevant to) implementation
of the specification as written in the current internet-draft.

Perhaps someone more familiar with Nortel's IPR could comment on these details,
or provide a pointer to the patent / application.

Since the statement submitted seems to satisfy RFC 2026 section 10.3.2 (c), and
since we lack the material (i.e. the patent itself) that would allow working group
members to decide for themselves whether is essential or to identify non-infringing
alternative implementation strategies, and since there has been no controversy
within the WG on this question, I believe there is no action the WG would need
to take on this matter at this stage of the process.

Randy

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From: "NorthWhite" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2003 07:40:31 -0500

I co-authored one of the patents related to this when I worked in Nortel
1999. The patent is filed in US.

The ideas patented are
- TMN & SNMP integration
- Method for recover lost traps (if I remembered clearly)

Forget the reason why we patent it, Nortel encourages employees to patent
everything at that time.

NW
http://www3.sympatico.ca/northwhite/