Hitachi, Ltd., Intellectual Property Office
New Marunouchi Bldg.
5-1, Marunouchi 1-chome
Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, 100-8220 Japan
Tel: x-81-3-3212-1111  Fax: x-81-3-3214-3110/3116

August 3, 1998

Mr. Burt Kaliski
Chair, IEEE P1363
RSA Laboratories East
20 Crosby Drive
Bedford, MA 01730
U. S.A.

Dear Mr. Kaliski:

We are pleased that at IEEE P1363 standardization on the hash functions, RIPEMD-160, 
RIPEMD-128 and SHA-1, have been progressing.

If IEEE adopts a standard on the above RIPEMD-160, RIPEMD-128 and SHA-1 hash 
functions, Hitachi Ltd. is willing to grant non-exclusive, non-transferable
licenses on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms and conditions under
any of its patent rights, under which it has the free right to grant licenses
and to the extent necessary to comply with this standard, to any party which
has submitted or will submit an equivalent undertaking with respect to this
standard.

We hope the foregoing will help further progress of the standardization at IEEE P1363.

Yours faithfully,



Katsuo Ogawa
Director & General Manager