Re: <fyi> Rebutal to Schnorr's Patent Claims re DSA - Anon.

Ben Laurie (ben@algroup.co.uk)
Mon, 03 Aug 1998 23:10:00 +0100

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schnorr wrote:
> The point is that the DSS performs step by step the same or equivalent
> operations as the Schnorr signature algorithm. The DSS performs the same
> steps throughout and at one point performs a division instead of an
> addition. At that point the DSS performs a more complicated but
> equivalent operation. Most importantly, the DSS does not cancel out a
> single step of Schnorr signatures. Even the addition step is still
> there, it is part of the division which contains many additions.

At the risk of repeating Nobody, I have to say that I find this very
difficult to buy. It seems to me that the logical consequence of this is
that all equations are essentially the same. If division is really just
addition in disguise, I'm sure we'll all have no problem at all with the
following statements:

1. Multiplication is addition.
2. Raising to a power is multiplication (and hence addition).
3. Subtraction is addition.
4. Taking a log is raising to a power (and hence multiplication, thus
addition).

So, if I perform the patented operation a+b, I also cover all equations
using multiplication, subtraction, division, powers and logs.

Proof:

a+b is just a+c+d, so I can add an extra operator without any trouble.
That operator can become *, /, ^, log or -. And, since I can add an
infinite number of them, I guess we can include sin, cos, tan, etc.

Hence, any algebraic operation is just a+b in diguise. Q.E.D.

Cheers,

Ben.

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