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Shades of the Seldon Patent
From: A. Padgett Peterson <padgett () tccslr dnet mmc com>
Date: Sat, 3 Jul 93 09:15:36 -0400
re: Digital Signature Scandal (vol 13 issue 438) Well it sure sounds to me like the "fix is in". For those who do not realize it, the DSS is an integral part of the CAPSTONE chip and may be a necessary component of the "auto-ignition" feature in CLIPPER. This means that every commercial user of Clipper/Capstone (IMHO the real target audience) will be required to pay tribute to PKP in exchange for permission to use a government-developed technology. It is interesting that the government is exempted from paying the "royalty" but you can bet that if Americans want to communicate with the gov, they will pay and pay and pay (that $1.00 per certificate per year following the first three years is the real moneymaker IMHO -- read as per business TELEPHONE per year). The three year wait makes sure that the technology becomes entrenched. The list of "requiring" services could be impressive: electronic IRS filing, Social Security inquiries, FHA/VA inquiries, Medicare/Medicaid filings, etc, etc. Gore's "Information Superhighway" would be a toll road. For some time I have wondered about the wisdom of granting patents to mathmatical algorithms and software. Bemusidly, Padgett
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