e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

[Tinroad]

OT: InterTrust Patents Important Technology for Secure Computing Networks
22nd patent claims digital policy management, mobile code, and distributed computing network inventions
http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/010918/180255_1.html

SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 18, 2001-- InterTrust Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ: ITRU - news), the leading inventor of Digital Rights Management (DRM) technology, announced today that it has been awarded a broad-based secure computing patent by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This is the 22nd U.S. patent issued to InterTrust in the fields of digital rights management, digital policy management, and secure distributed computing. Complemented by more than 80 additional patent applications pending worldwide, this patent further extends InterTrust's industry leading patent portfolio.

The patent--No. 6,292,569 ('569 Patent)--describes inventive work for verifying and certifying mobile code and other executables, so that downstream computing devices can reliably determine the code's trustworthiness and suitability for use. It is based on an application filed by InterTrust on August 12, 1996, and extends the claims granted to InterTrust in US Patent No. 6,157,721 issued December 5, 2000.

The inventions of the '569 patent are particularly important in the fields of digital policy management (including DRM) and distributed computing networks, such as collaboration networks and evolving methods for electronic data interchange.

In these markets, computing devices and applications of many types (such as PCs, PDAs, other emerging electronic appliances, and business applications) need to receive software code and instructions about how to treat the digital information they receive or process. These instructions must be analyzed and verified to ensure compliance with security and trust policies. Inevitably, these policies will differ depending upon the nature of the device, the implementation, the use, the code deployed, or the originator of the instructions.

The '569 patent claims technology for providing a common framework for verifying and certifying instructions in a manner that enables devices and applications to reliably enforce their own specified security policies. By enabling multiple verification methods and security levels in common device and application frameworks, such as those that may be provided by different certification authorities, InterTrust's patents address a key barrier for global e-commerce. Different organizations will have different security requirements, and these requirements must be respected by all of the computing devices that process the organization's digital information.

``We live in a world where it's commonplace for software programs to flow freely among many interconnected parties and devices,'' said David Maher, chief technology officer of InterTrust. ``Each group and organization needs the ability to define its own trust policies and criteria. For efficient digital trust to exist, distributed computing environments must have methods to accept or reject software code based on its integrity and trustworthiness.

These InterTrust patents go to the heart of that issue and significantly enhance our already extensive patent portfolio.``

About InterTrust Technologies Corporation

Over the past eleven years, InterTrust has invented and defined key elements of Digital Rights Management technologies. As the first company to devise a digital commerce network, the MetaTrust Utility, to help other businesses manage and protect their proprietary data, InterTrust acts as a neutral third party to ensure security and interoperability over the Internet and other electronic devices. InterTrust's more than 40 licensees and partners include Adobe, AOL/TimeWarner, Blockbuster, BMG Entertainment, Cirrus, Compaq, Digital World Services, Enron, Magex, Mercurix, Mitsubishi, Nokia, Philips, Samsung, Texas Instruments, Universal Music Group, and Wave Systems. InterTrust's pioneering role in DRM and trusted computing is underscored by 22 U.S. patents and more than 80 patents pending worldwide.

Note to Editors: The statements contained in this release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, including statements regarding InterTrust's expectations, beliefs, hopes, intentions or strategies regarding the future. All forward-looking statements included in this document are based upon information available to InterTrust as of the date hereof, and InterTrust assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statement. Actual results could differ materially from current expectations. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include, but are not limited to, the factors and risks discussed in InterTrust's reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The statements in this release regarding InterTrust's patents are intended for purposes of illustration only, and are not meant to cover or describe all possible applications, variations, or interpretations of the patented inventions. Nothing contained in this release is intended for use in construing the scope, content, or meaning of any patent's claims, specification, or prosecution history, or of any other patent-related materials.

Copyright (c) 2001 InterTrust Technologies Corporation. All rights reserved. InterTrust, the InterTrust logo, MetaTrust, and The MetaTrust Utility are registered trademarks of InterTrust Technologies Corporation, all of which may or may not be used in certain jurisdictions. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies or organizations.