Re: UUNET Network Encryption Patents

["Perry E. Metzger" <[e-mail]>]

"C. Harald Koch" writes:
> It has been brought to my attention that UUNET Technologies has a pair of
> patents covering network encryption. The patents are very broad, and
> basically cover anything that selectively encrypts datagrams based on
> source/destination information. This would automatically cover all
> implementations of the IPsec protocols.
> 
> UUNET's legal staff have stated their intent to begin actively pursuing
> these patents, beginning this summer. It is my understanding that their
> licensing terms are quite reasonable. However, this patent has (obvious)
> implications for everyone here, and so I bring it to your attention.

The UUNET people did their work AFTER vast amounts of prior art was
produced. Network layer encryption based on source/destination address
goes back much further, and even products existed, from my memory,
before then. Hell, blacker predates all of this. I also remember there
having been work on this stuff ten years earlier by our own Steve Kent.

I suspect this is the usual bad patent situation. If UUNET's legal
staff try to pursue this, I hope that the industry very strongly
stands up to them. Provided I am right on the prior art my own company
will certainly do so.

Perry