Subject: TBRPF source code is available

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 07 Dec 2001 16:56:47 -0800

TBRPF source code is now available both for our Linux implementation 
and for ns-2 simulations.  This code is compliant with the current 
version of TBRPF.  The same TBRPF source files, written in C, are 
used for both implementation and simulation.  
You can request this software at

   http://www.erg.sri.com/projects/tbrpf/sourcecode.html

There are some restrictions on the use of this software which you 
can read at the site, but it can be used for IETF-related
purposes.  

Richard

---

From: Ken Peirce <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 13 Dec 2001 10:11:52 -0800

Richard,

>First, none of the patent applications you listed
>include the current version of TBRPF.  A provisional
>application was submitted for that only a few weeks ago.
>So the patent applications you listed are not relevant.

Thank you for the correction/update. I was unaware of the provisional
application. It was not announced on this list and the only new applications
from SRI on the USPTO site are for electroactive polymers.

>Second, note that our patent rights statement at the end of our draft 
>includes the following sentence: "If SRI's submission (or 
>portions thereof) 
>is accepted and becomes part of the IETF standard, then SRI will grant 
>royalty-free permission under such patents for both commercial and 
>non-commercial uses, to the extent necessary for compliance with 
>the standard."
>
>So the patent does not apply to any part of TBRPF that becomes 
>a standard.
>The patent protects us in case TBRPF does NOT become a standard.

I've read this statement. I understand that it grants royalty-free
permission for patented portions that are adopted. I wanted folks to
understand the claims that were made for this reason: sometimes when a set
of mechanisms is defined, there are only x number of ways to
logical/efficient ways to interface to or manipulate them. It is possible to
have these approaches/algorithms patented as well. Even though the original
mechanism set is royalty free, the only way to effectively employ them , or
a limiting subset, may not be royalty free. The statement "...to the extent
necessary for compliance with the standard." has a bit of wiggle room in it.

Please do not misunderstand me. I am not accusing you, SRI or anyone else of
a machiavellian scheme to patent the world or hurt the MANET WG. It is
simply responsible engineering practice to understand the intellectual
property rights of those in your field WRT a technology.  

If you are concerned with my motivation, ask any long time member of the PPP
WG about the Motorola compression patent confusion (CCP).

I am looking forward to playing with the TBRPF code.

Cheers,
Ken

Note that the opinions expressed here are mine only.