Setting the record straight on Sxip and patents

Identity Management This newsletter is sponsored by Orchestria Mitigating Business Risk with Intelligent Electronic Control Download this free analyst whitepaper that explores the ever growing inherent risks associated with control free electronic actions, including message, web and file activity. This insightful paper discusses the landscape of the problem and provides recommendations for mitigating the business risks associated with control free electronic action. Network World's Identity Management Newsletter, 07/18/07 Setting the record straight on Sxip and patents By Dave Kearns Recently there was a minor flap over patent issues and user-centric identity systems. Someone had discovered that Dick Hardt and Sxip Identity had applied for some U.S. and U.K. patents covering identity systems that appeared to cover technology used in the OpenID system. Now anyone who knows Dick or has worked with Sxip is well aware that this company is no Eolas (the folks who claim a patent on browser plug-ins), nor is there any indication that Sxip wants to quietly have people adopt a standard that it later claims is covered by its intellectual property (IP). Sxip does own quite a bit of IP related to its Sxip Access product, and a lot of the OpenID system could be said to derive from the Sxip model. It could be said, in fact, that Hardt “invented” the three-part identity system of Identity Provider, User and Relying Party (RP, or Identity Consumer). Network World Buyers Guides Find the right products for your enterprise - fast. With seven categories - security, storage, convergence and VoIP, network infrastructure, network applications, wireless and LAN/WAN management - you can quickly pinpoint the hardware or software you need. With the side-by-side comparison tool you can evaluate product features and make the best purchase decisions for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Buyers Guides now. Since OpenID is, at least nominally, an open source project, patent issues are red flags to many of its proponents. So it’s with a real sense of relief that I can report that Hardt stated to me unequivocally, “We will issue non-assertion statements similar to other respected corporate patent holders [e.g., Sun and IBM] as specifications we participate in are finalized.” He went on to note that, “We have been open to spec developers and the core OpenID community that we hold patents in this area.” Evidently it’s not the OpenID stakeholders raising a potential stink, but those whose interests lie in other identity systems and methods. This seems like a good time to give you an interim report on Sxipper, Sxip’s well-designed Web-based single sign-on solution plus (SSO+). The “plus” is a form-filling tool that allows the first visitor to a form to map the fields and send the resulting semantic map back to the Sxipper site. Subsequent Sxipper-enabled visitors to that form will see their own data automatically populated into it. The project is still listed as beta software and is undergoing seemingly endless “updates” (which are very quietly and automatically installed. I wish other software vendors would adopt Sxipper’s update methodology!). But, for me, it’s the most-compelling reason to install Firefox as your primary browser. Sxipper has improved greatly in usability and functionality since I started using it last fall and now I’d be severely impacted if it were no longer available to me. It’s really the best, if not the first, user-centric identity tool.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: Dave Kearns is a writer and consultant in Silicon Valley. He's written a number of books including the (sadly) now out of print "Peter Norton's Complete Guide to Networks." His musings can be found at Virtual Quill. Kearns is the author of two Network World Newsletters: Windows Networking Strategies, and Identity Management. Comments about these newsletters should be sent to him at these respective addresses: windows@vquill.com, identity@vquill.com . Kearns provides content services to network vendors: books, manuals, white papers, lectures and seminars, marketing, technical marketing and support documents. Virtual Quill provides "words to sell by..." Find out more by e-mail. This newsletter is sponsored by Orchestria Mitigating Business Risk with Intelligent Electronic Control Download this free analyst whitepaper that explores the ever growing inherent risks associated with control free electronic actions, including message, web and file activity. This insightful paper discusses the landscape of the problem and provides recommendations for mitigating the business risks associated with control free electronic action. ARCHIVE Archive of the Identity Management Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: security.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007