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When last I checked, we were not supposed to have patents on math. Now, we can argue endlessly about whether or not that covers all software, but if public key
by betterunix 14y ago
When last I checked, we were not supposed to have patents on math. Now, we can argue endlessly about whether or not that covers all software, but if public key crypto is not math then I am not really sure what is...
- DennisP 14y agoSadly, RSA was patented. The patent expired in 2000.
- betterunix 14y agoI know, and it is worse than that. Over a hundred patents on ECC techniques, at least five on identity based encryption, and even patents on fully homomorphic encryption despite the fact that FHE is still years from practicality (including at least one patent on FHE that was granted before Gentry even showed that FHE is possible). It is, simply put, a monumental failure on the part of patent examiners.