FLOQI

Full Lifecycle Post-Quantum PKI
DE

Patent watch

Patents

Collection of patents that may affect NIST challenge post-quantum standardisation candidates and the migration to quantum-safe algorithms.

Important notice — not legal advice This list is maintained by computer scientists without legal training and is for informational purposes only. To determine whether patents apply to specific algorithms or use cases, separate legal analysis by qualified attorneys is required.

Shanghai Key Blockchain Technology Co., Ltd.

AKCN mechanism (2016)

According to the patent holder, Kyber and SABER fall under the AKCN mechanism. The "conciliation/reconciliation mechanisms" of Kyber and AKCN-LWE or SABER and AKCN-MLWE are essentially identical, apart from minor differences. The same applies to KEMs based on LWE/MLWE/LWR/MLWR such as NewHope. Frodo does not fall under this patent, as the mechanism in Frodo is not optimal.

Patent ID Title / description Affected algorithms
CN107566121 Efficient Secret Common Recognition Kyber, SABER, NewHope (LWE/MLWE-based)
CN108173xxx AKCN mechanism variants MLWE/LWR KEMs
"With respect to the patents, we never intended to give up all the patents for using our proposals. We hold the patents only for protection. This position applies to all of our proposals."

ISARA Corporation

Multiple cryptosystems patents

Patents on the construction of hybrid PKI systems with multiple cryptosystems. ISARA published a statement on potential collisions with the NIST PQC standardisation process.

Patent ID Title Status
US9660978 Using a Digital Certificate with Multiple Cryptosystems (39 + 17 claims) EP application EP17838243 withdrawn (March 2020)
US10425401 Multiple Cryptosystems — hybrid PKI construction EP application EP19878832 still pending

Hybrid certificate chains, as developed in the FLOQI project, do not infringe any of the patents mentioned according to current research — nevertheless, individual legal review is recommended.

Relevance for FLOQI

The FLOQI project develops hybrid X.509 certificates and parallel PKI deployments precisely to make the transition to post-quantum cryptography low-risk — including with regard to potential patent landscapes.

The patent overview helps researchers and industry partners assess migration risks. It does not replace patent due diligence.

FLOQI publications on hybrid certificates → · Contact for enquiries →