Subject: Re: [TLS] IPR Disclosure from Certicom

From: Bill Frantz <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 11 May 2009 21:36:39 -0700

[email-masked] (Simon Josefsson) on Monday, May 11, 2009 wrote:

>   Certicom will, upon request, provide a nonexclusive, royalty free paten
>   t license, to
>   manufacturers to permit end users (including both client and server sid
>   es), to use the patents in
>   schedule A when implementing any of these protocols, including those re
>   quiring third party
>   certificates provided the certificate is obtained from a licensed Certi
>   ficate Authority (CA). This
>   license does not cover the issuing of certificates by a Certification A
>   uthority (CA).

I read this as saying you should not use any elliptic curve cryptography
that depends on Certicom's patents if you are using self-signed
certificates or acting as your own CA (unless you have a license from
Certicom). The easiest way to avoid Certicom's patents is to avoid elliptic
curve cryptography.

Cheers - Bill

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