mathew.grell@ucop.edu
June 15, 1999
draft
Burt Kaliski – Chair, IEEE P1363
RSA Laboratories
20 Crosby Drive
Bedford, MA 01730
RE:
Encoding Methods PSS/PSS-R
Dear P1363 Committee:
We understand that you are considering standardization
of the signature-formatting methods commonly known as "PSS" and "PSS-R",
invented by Mihir Bellare and Phillip Rogaway, both of the University of
California. The University of California has a U.S. patent
pending which covers these techniques. This letter is to inform your Committee
of some decisions we have reached about licensing this technology:
-
If PSS is included in an IEEE standard, the
University of California will, when that standard is adopted, FREELY license
any conforming implementation of PSS as a technique for achieving a digital
signature with appendix. No registration fee or other administrative
procedure will be required.
-
Broader use of the PSS/PSS-R techniques, including
the use of PSS-R for achieving a digital signature with message recovery,
may be made after acquiring a license. Licenses will be awarded in a nondiscriminatory
manner under very reasonable terms and conditions. Contact Mat Grell
at the Office of Technology Transfer for details.
The University of California wishes to contribute
to the widespread use of the highest quality mechanisms for cryptography
and computer security. To help further this goal, we are committed
to having a simple and liberal licensing policy for PSS/PSS-R.
MLG/bd