Zero-Knowledge will not include policy based restrictions with regards to
our licensing. By this I mean that we will not attempt to say "You can use
the patents for these purposes (Private payment of Birth Control
Information) but not for these purposes (Private payment to adult erotica)"
Any licensing will be done based principles such as;
-Mints
-Guarantors
-Merchants
-Issuers
-Clients/DigitalWallets
-Settlement Agents
If within these functions, there exists a market demand for payor and payee
anonymous digital cash, then you can be assured that some ambitious startup
will license from us and attack that market.
-Austin
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Declan McCullagh [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
> Sent: Monday, February 28, 2000 6:32 PM
> To: Austin Hill; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: Brands on privacy
>
>
> Austin,
>
> Thanks for your note below. A question, though: Can you tell
> us what your
> plans are for licensing the patents in a way that would
> permit payor- and
> payee-anonymous digital cash?
>
> Do you have *any* plans to do such a thing, either for
> noncommercial/free
> or commercial use?
>
> Stefan B. told me on the record at FC'00 (and I quoted him in
> an article)
> saying he would oppose such a move. Adam S. told me the next
> day after
> reading my article that ZKS had made no such decision one way
> or another.
>
> Which is it?
>
> Thanks,
> Declan
>
>
> At 15:24 2/27/2000 -0500, Austin Hill wrote:
> >We did indeed invest in both Dr. Brands and his technology.
> While I
> >personally have a distaste for patents (Both mathematical and absurd
> >software patents that are being issued like they are going out of
> >style) they are realities of life, and to achieve what we are trying
> >to do for privacy we also need to be in that game.
> >
> >At the same time, Zero-Knowledge is staffed by well known cypherpunks
> >at many levels, (as well as a number of open source guru's).
> While
> >we haven't made any announcements regarding our specific plans with
> >regards to the patents, or license arrangements you can be assured
> >that we will not approach it the way Digicash; RSA or anyone else has
> >done before.
> >
> >We do have some very interesting plans with regards to the patents,
> >and I fully expect when we disclose these, they will pass the
> >'cypherpunks smell test' and gain full support from this community.
>
>
