[registrars] Fw: [idn] IETF Notification of Patent Publication for WO 01/90955 A2

["Ross Wm. Rader" <ross@tucows.com>]

I haven't done any analysis on this yet, therefore I have no commentary to
offer, but I felt that this was sufficiently important to pass on
immediately. I suspect that we should request an declaration from Verisign
GRS indicating what, if any, potential legal or financial exposure
registrars participating the VGRS IDN Test-bed have as it relates to this
patent.

Further discussion on this matter may be warranted during our next offline
meeting.

-rwr

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-idn@ops.ietf.org [mailto:owner-idn@ops.ietf.org] On Behalf
> Of Heinze, Bill
> Sent: January 17, 2002 6:04 PM
> To: 'idn@ops.ietf.org'
> Cc: 'Mr. James Seng, Co-Chair, idn Working Group,'; 'Mr. Marc Blanchet,
> Co-Chair, idn Working Group,'; 'Mr. Erik Nordmark, Internet Area
> Director,'; 'Mr. Thomas Narten, Internet Area Director,'; 'Mr. John
> Klensin, Technical Advisor,'; 'Mr. Harald Alverstrand, Technical
> Advisor,'; 'RFC 2026 Submissions to IETF Director,'
> Subject: [idn] IETF Notification of Patent Publication for WO 01/90955
> A2
>
>
> January 17, 2002
>
> Internet Engineering Task Force VIA E-MAIL TO:
> idn Working Group Mailing List idn@ops.ietf.org
>
>
> Re: IETF Notification of Patent Publication for WO 01/90955
> A2
> Our File No. 561401-9010
>
> Dear Subscribers:
>
> Please accept my apologies for the poor formatting of my
> previous message.  I was not aware that the hyperlinks would create so
> many problems for various recipients.  Here is a second copy that should
> be easier to read
> and includes a link to a concatenated copy of the patent.
>
> In accordance with Section 10 of the Internet Standards Process
> (RFC 2026), I am writing on behalf of .NU Domain and its affiliate
> WorldNames, Inc. to notify you of the publication of World Intellectual
> Property Organization International Publication No. WO 01/90955 A2
> entitled "Internationalized Domain Name System with Iterative
> Conversion."  A copy of this document is available at the following
> website:
>
> ftp://ftp.tkhr.com/WO0190955A2.pdf
>
> This patent application generally relates to a system, method,
> and logic for managing data, including a database for implementing a key
> value operation, such as a DNS resource record lookup, with a key having
> a predetermined encoding, such as Unicode. Also provided is an iterative
> converter for iteratively converting the key from each of multiple
> encodings to the predetermined encoding before performing the key value
> operation with each converted key.  The system may also include a
> validator for verifying that a syntax of each converted key is valid and
> a normalizer for normalizing each converted key.
>
> We believe that many of the technologies being discussed in this
> mailing list infringe one or more of the claims starting at page 87 of
> the attached publication.  We would therefore like to propose that you
> review these claims and contact us immediately with regard to obtaining
> a license and/or authorized access to WorldNames "MLDNS" multilingual
> DNS products and services described at the following website:
>
> http://www.worldnames.net/MLDNS/default.cfm
>
> Please note that failure to promptly obtain the appropriate
> authorization may subject you and your organization to liability for
> royalties in the U.S. as of the date that you receive this letter under
> 35 U.S.C. Section 154(d).  Once the application is granted, additional
> remedies are also available including injunctions, treble damages, and
> attorney fees. A variety of other presumptions and remedies may also be
> available in the U.S. and abroad.
>
> If you believe that you have a defense to these allegations,
> such as non-infringement or prior invention, then please provide us with
> additional information to refute our allegations and avoid further
> involvement with this matter.  Similarly, if you believe that any of the
> attached claims are not patentable, then please bring them to our
> attention, along with any relevant prior art, so that we may submit that
> information to the appropriate patent offices.
>
> We are looking forward to hearing from you.
>
> Sincerely,
>
> William F. Heinze, Esq.*
> Thomas, Kayden, Horstemeyer & Risley, L.L.P.
> 100 Galleria Parkway, N.W., Suite 1750
> Atlanta, GA 30339-5948
> Tel.:  (770) 933-9500
> Fax:  (770) 951-0933
> Profile:  http://www.tkhr.com/wfh.htm
>
> *Admitted to practice in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  Not admitted in
> Georgia.
>
> cc:  Mr. James Seng, Co-Chair, idn Working Group, jseng@pobox.org.sg
> Mr. Marc Blanchet, Co-Chair, idn Working Group,
> Marc.Blanchet@viagenie.qc.ca
> Mr. Erik Nordmark, Internet Area Director, nordmark@eng.sun.com
> Mr. Thomas Narten, Internet Area Director, narten@us.ibm.com
> Mr. John Klensin, Technical Advisor, klensin@jck.com
> Mr. Harald Alverstrand, Technical Advisor, harald@alvestrand.no
> RFC 2026 Submissions to IETF Director, scoya@ietf.org
>
>