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What Would You Do With a New Form of Encryption?

Posted by Cliff on from the share-or-sell dept.

Kip Knight asks: "I've been sitting on an invention for six months now. I'm debating whether to 'give it to the world' or patent it. I would obviously like to feed my family on the fruits of my endeavour but don't see much hope in the open source route. My invention improves upon the 80 year old One-Time Pad encryption turning it into a 'Many-Time Pad'. Since I haven't got my export license to speak about the details yet, I won't describe further. The advantages are proof (i.e. unbreakable) against brute force attacks and known-plaintext attacks (unlike the OTP). The disadvantage is carrying around a very large digital key (which could easily fit on one of those USB memory key fobs). My question is this: Could I sell enough $10 shareware GPG extensions to compensate for not locking in 20 years of patent protection (and the $20,000 to patent it)?" While the claims made by the submittor have yet to withstand the crucial test of time (and prying eyes), if you had developed a new form of encryption, what would you do?

14 of 789 comments (clear)

  1. Patent it... by MagicFab · · Score: 5, Funny

    then encrypt the patent.

    --
    Notepad specialist & FAT administrator, group training available
  2. The same thing I do every day... by killmenow · · Score: 5, Funny

    Try to take over the world...

  3. Do Nothing by RAzaRazor · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't do anything to make it public. Just keep it for your own personal use.

    That would be the best encryption you can have. The one only you know about.

  4. Well by llamalicious · · Score: 5, Funny

    First, I wouldn't "Ask Slashdot"
    (sound of pitter-pattering many greedy feet scurrying to the nearest PTO)

    Second:
    1. Patent new encryption algorithm.
    2. Sell to highest bidder.
    3. ???
    4. Profit.

    Ah well, you could always be more philanthrophic than me, and support FSF, but hell, I'm just a capitalist at heart.

  5. Support Slashdot with it by egg+troll · · Score: 5, Funny

    I think you should trade this patent for some stock in VA Systems! How could that fail to make you wealthy?!

    --

    C - A language that combines the speed of assembly with the ease of use of assembly.
  6. I was in the same situation; here's what I did by splattertrousers · · Score: 5, Funny

    nbHF48FKJH4F;kjh4LKJHhNB498CN4I
    SKLJ4H9sdflkjh48B3498HW4IFN4IN8
    OKDNJ48458DI4.SL4993;W5497GKH48
    2HCB4KBHS843,JNS,JH43872B34JYB4
    ZMNB48lkjh48BB4JHG8cbhbj8675309

  7. aol... by zsmooth · · Score: 5, Funny

    Does it bother anyone else that the creator of the encryption scheme that will save the world uses AOL? (check his email addy...)

  8. Try to break it by L.+VeGas · · Score: 5, Funny

    Iay avehay ay ewnay encryptionay ethodmay ootay. Itay amecay otay emay inay ay eamdray.

    --
    Best Windows Freeware
  9. Re:Easy. by Tablizer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Never underestimate an infinite number of lawyers on an infinite number of typewriters submitting claims to the US Patent Office.

    What, they ran out of monkeys and had to go lower on the evolutionary ladder?

    --
    Table-ized A.I.
  10. Re:I was in the same situation; here's what I did by MyHair · · Score: 5, Funny

    nbHF48FKJH4F;kjh4LKJHhNB498CN4I
    Don't
    SKLJ4H9sdflkjh48B3498HW4IFN4IN8
    Forget
    OKDNJ48458DI4.SL4993;W5497GKH48
    To Drink
    2HCB4KBHS843,JNS,JH43872B34JYB4
    Your
    ZMNB48lkjh48BB4JHG8cbhbj8675309
    Ovaltine.

    A commercial? What a gip!

  11. Intersections by Ratbert42 · · Score: 5, Funny

    The intersection of the sets {AOL users, guys named Kip, actual inventors} is null.

  12. copyright better than patent? by eagl · · Score: 5, Funny

    Create a little tune and lyrically read your patent submission, any source code, and detailed description of your technology. Then the MPAA's actions will cover you. ROT-13 it and the DMCA will also cover you especially if you also distribute decoder rings with your developer's package (pricing and availability not specified at press time)

  13. Re:learn to play the patent game by gpinzone · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mail it to himself? Why bother? All he's gotta do is encrypt it using his method then post it in a whole bunch of Usenet newsgroups. If his method is really as good as he says it is...

  14. Re:If you want to make money, patent it by Henry+V+.009 · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm reasonably sure that he has just described a one time pad. For a second I wasn't sure what he meant, since that happens to be the only unbreakable crypto possible, but then I got it.

    He didn't say 'incredibly weak.'

    Rather, he said 'incredibly week.'

    How can something be week (a calendar unit) rather than a week? While sometimes nouns are used as adverbs, extending the meaning. The most likely meaning for the adverb week, would be: having to do with a week, or weeks. And since our names for the week-days come from ancient gods, he was probably likening the one time pad to the unbeatable thunder god Thor.

    Thor, of course, would be totally unbreakable.

    For someone to see all this instantly--and then call it obvious--means that he is on a level of genius that our puny mathematical brains cannot possibly understand--nor should we try to.

    (Mathematics is simply the art of finding equivalent statements. Psycho-analyze all the word problems and you're guareenteed at least D--so build from there.)