[FDE] ECC patent issues

[Robert Jueneman]

Date: Wed, 04 Jul 2007 09:19:41 +1000

From: "James A. Donald" <jamesd at echeque.com>

Subject: Re: [FDE] Introductions

To: fde at www.xml-dev.com

Message-ID: <468AD98D.9070009 at echeque.com>

Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed

 

Robert Jueneman wrote:

> We also resell a version of WinMagic's SecureDOC FDE product, which

> includes support for CAC and PIV cards for pre-boot authentication.

> That version also supports the use of the SPYRUS Rosetta token to wrap

> the AES-256 disk encryption key is a comparable strength ECC P-384 key
-

> the highest Suite B strength key size.

 

I was under the impression that the use of ECC was obstructed by 

multiple extremely broad overlapping patents, each patenting much the 

same thing, but that if the NSA licenses you, your ass is covered.  But 

for non government uses, NSA is presumably not going to license you, and


  cutting a deal with patent holders is going to be too arduous for any 

organization that does not have a menacing team of lawyers in house.

 

What is the patent and licensing situation with that product?  Did NSA 

license you to sell it to anyone?

 

I'm not an attorney, but it may be worth observing that Microsoft
includes ECC support within Vista, and Sun, Red Hat, and others have
announced plans to support ECC as well.  

 

SPYRUS products are unencumbered with license restrictions, and can be
exported and used worldwide.

 

Bob

 

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.xml-dev.com/pipermail/fde/attachments/20070704/237a23bd/attachment.html