It's remarkable what the try to get a patent on. Cisco has been doing
this in the PIX for years...
/Alex
-----Original Message-----
From: David M. Zendzian [mailto:dmz@dmzs.com]
Sent: den 21 oktober 2004 17:50
To: firewalls@securityfocus.com
Subject: Browser redirect to proxy
Hello all,
I have done some programming on the nocat captive gateway (nocat.net)
and have noticed reciently that someone (acacia) appears to think they
have a patent on redirecting a browser to a proxy that forces
authentication.
I believe that there should be plenty of examples of pre 1999 of a
firewall redirection of services to a proxy as well as authentication
through proxy or back end auth web server to allow browser access to a
'global network'. As the patent calls it.
I am not one of those absolute zelots against patents, but I am
against taking either common knowledge or common sense and trying to
turn that into a licensing scheme to make money.
Btw the patent # is 6226667 and it was filed in january 1999. Also,
acacia doesn't have an application or library, or even a full algorithm
they are licensing. Only the idea was patented and anyone else who
happened to build it indepently are they want to charge license fees to.
In fact they don't seem to be targeting the hardware or software
manufacturere, but the end isp who is deploying the tech.
I thank you for any facts you can help me unearth.
David
/--------------------------------------\
David M. Zendzian * dmz@dmzs.com
(415) 867-7812 - phone
-------------
Imagination is greater than knowledge * Albert Einstein
Every day is a good day, whether you like it or not! *
