🚀 go-pugleaf

Peter Gutmann (pgut1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz) wrote:
: In <1398@eouk9.eoe.co.uk> ahaley@eoe.co.uk (Andrew Haley) writes:
: 
: >Yes, IDEA has a 128 bit key.  It's rather beautiful algorithm,
: >involving multiplications mod 65537 (which is prime, so the
: >multiplications are invertible because every number (except zero) has
: >an inverse mod a prime), additions mod 65536, and XORs.  These
: >operations are combined in a network which thoroughly scrambles the
: >data.  There are no table lookups or bit permutations at all.
: >
: >BAD NEWS: It's PATENTED.  Not just in the USA but in Europe as well.
: >If enforced, this patent will probably prevent the widespread adoption
: >of this algorithm.  A great shame.
: 
: However the patent owners, Ascom-Tech AG, are being very reasonable about
: the patent (totally unlike PKP).  They let us use it in PGP without having
: to pay any license fees since PGP is free, and are very approachable about
: it's use in other programs.  Still, I ended up not using it in my PGP-compatible
: archiver since I have a religious thing about patents - however, IDEA is a very
: good cipher and the way the patent is being administered is one of the more
: enlightened I've seen.

I utterly disagree.  There is no way to describe the enforcement of an
algorithm patent as "enlightened".  It's like saying "Frank is a good
jailer, he doesn't tie my shackles too tight".  They (the IDEA
licensors) _do not_ allow the free use in PGP in general, only in
noncommercial cases.  Which means that you and I can communicate with
PGP until we wish to discuss business; then we have to start paying
money.

I am not opposed to the copyrighting of code, but algorithm patents
are a way to prevent the application of ideas, something we haven't
seen since the dark ages.

Followups to comp.patents.

: 
: Peter.

Andrew.

P.S.  Support the League for Programming Freedom!