SSL is a commonly-used protocol for managing the security of a
message transmission on the internet, particularly when making
transactions. It uses the public and private key encryption system
from RSA to scramble on-line data exchanges. VeriSign was RSA's
digital certificate division until it was spun off in 1995.
SSL is included as part of both the Microsoft and Netscape
browsers, although SSL has recently been succeeded by Transport
Layer Security (TLS), which is based on SSL.
Stambler was granted seven patents between 1993 and 1999 which,
he said, covered SSL. The jury in the US District Court in
Wilmington, Delaware, disagreed. It rejected four patent
infringement claims; the judge rejected a fifth.
A separate trial begins today to assess the validity of his
patents, which could provide grounds for appealing the jury's
verdict.
Stambler had sued for $20 million. However, RSA and VeriSign
were not his only targets. He also sued Openwave Systems, First
Data, Omnisky, and later, Certicom. Omnisky later went bankrupt,
and the other companies each settled with Stambler.
