RSA Security Inc. today announced it has released the RSA public key encryption algorithm into the public domain, allowing anyone to create products that incorporate their own implementation of the algorithm. This means that RSA Security has waived its rights to enforce the patent for any development activities that include the RSA algorithm occurring after September 6, 2000.. . .
RSA Security Inc. today announced it has released the RSA public key encryption algorithm into the public domain, allowing anyone to create products that incorporate their own implementation of the algorithm. This means that RSA Security has waived its rights to enforce the patent for any development activities that include the RSA algorithm occurring after September 6, 2000.

Represented by the equation "c = me mod n," the RSA algorithm is widely considered the standard for encryption and the core technology that secures the vast majority of the e-business conducted on the Internet. The U.S. patent for the RSA algorithm (# 4,405,829, "Cryptographic Communications System And Method") was issued to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on September 20, 1983, licensed exclusively to RSA Security and expires on September 20, 2000.

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