Re: [security-services] RSA Security updated Letter of Intentregardingpatents applicabl e to SAML

[Jeff Hodges <Jeff.Hodges@sun.com>]

> "Philpott, Robert" wrote:
> 
> Jeff - could you please post this to the web site at your earliest
> opportunity?

done. 

plain text of the RSA 20-Jan-2003 letter of intent included below for folks'
convenience. 

JeffH
-----
To: OASIS Executive Director



From: Margaret K. Seif, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, RSA
Security Inc.



Date: January 20, 2003



Subject: IPR Letter of Intent



In previous correspondence dated April 22, 2002 (the “April 22, 2002
Letter”), RSA Security Inc. ("RSA") disclosed that it is the assignee of
U.S. Patent Nos. 6,085,320 and 6,189,098, both entitled "Client/Server
Protocol for Proving Authenticity".  At that time, RSA Security believed
that these two patents could be relevant to practicing certain operational
modes of the OASIS Security Assertion Markup Language (“SAML”)
specifications.



RSA believes that two additional U.S. patents could also be relevant to
practicing the SAML specifications.  These patents, both entitled “Method
of and Apparatus for Providing Secure Distributed Directory Services and
Public Key Infrastructure” (U.S. Patent Nos. 5,922,074 and 6,249,873) were
issued to Xcert Software, Inc., which was acquired by RSA in 2001.



In the interest of encouraging deployment of SAML-based technologies, RSA
offered to grant non-exclusive, royalty-free licenses on a
non-discriminatory basis for the original two patents in the April 22, 2002
Letter. RSA has decided to offer the same licensing terms for these two
additional patents as well as continue the licensing arrangements for the
original two patents.  Accordingly, this letter supercedes and replaces in
all respects the April 22, 2002 Letter.



Under a separate license agreement, which will soon be available on RSA’s
website (along with instructions for obtaining and completing the license),
RSA is willing to grant limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free licenses on a
non-discriminatory basis under the four patents (collectively, "the RSA
Patents") to make, use and sell products conforming to the SAML
specifications (“Licensed Products”).  The terms of this license will
require a licensee who can assert patent rights with respect to the SAML
specifications to grant to RSA a comparable non-exclusive, royalty-free
licenses to all such patent(s). The reciprocity of the licensing is limited
to only that intellectual property required to implement the assertions,
protocols, bindings, and profiles defined by the SAML specifications.



The license terms for the RSA Patents will permit end-users to use the
Licensed Products.  However, in the event that a Licensed Product is a
product (such as a toolkit product or operating system service) that is
used to develop other products, the license will require the licensee of
the RSA Patents to notify users of the Licensed Products that such users
must obtain a license directly from RSA for the RSA Patents.  RSA  is
willing to grant such licenses on the same non-exclusive, royalty-free
terms described above.



RSA welcomes comments on this proposal and looks forward to further
collaboration with OASIS.