*BSD News Article 7880


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Xref: sserve comp.org.eff.talk:10052 misc.int-property:797 comp.unix.bsd:7931
Path: sserve!manuel.anu.edu.au!munnari.oz.au!sgiblab!spool.mu.edu!agate!doc.ic.ac.uk!uknet!mucs!mccuts!zzassgl
From: zzassgl@uts.mcc.ac.uk (Geoff Lane)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk,misc.int-property,alt.suit.att-bsdi,comp.unix.bsd
Subject: Re: Software Patents: Promotion of science and the useful arts?
Message-ID: <6054@mccuts.uts.mcc.ac.uk>
Date: 14 Nov 92 17:13:40 GMT
References: <721582032.995@zooid.guild.org>
Organization: Manchester Computing Centre, Manchester, England, M13 9PL.
Lines: 21

In article <721582032.995@zooid.guild.org> ron@zooid.guild.org (Secret Mud) writes:
>One big reason that DES isn't included in every mail system is because many
>companies want to sell outside the U.S.  As soon as that software gets to the
>border, it becomes "munitions", and requires extensive paperwork to ship
>it--if at all.



The really sad part about this is that the theory and practise of DES is
widely published and easily available in any technical library anywhere in
the world.  The only people hurt by the restrictions are US based companies. 
DES s/w is widely available from non-US anonymous ftp sites, one of which is
based in Finland -- one of the few countries with very good communications
with both the old USSR and the west.  Email system written and sold in the
UK often have DES options available.  

-- 
Geoff. Lane. | Internet: zzassgl@uts.mcc.ac.uk | Janet: zzassgl@uk.ac.mcc.uts
UTS Sys Admin,  Manchester Computing Centre,  Oxford Rd,  Manchester, M13 9PL
During a week's TV I want to be entertained, bored, delighted, disgusted, made
happy, saddened, enlightened, mystified, else they aren't doing the job right.