>In fact it was a confusion with this patent:  >http://news.openideurope.eu/us20040205243_0_959_A1.pdf

You aren't the first to wonder at their similarities;

http://suse.groenbaek.net/openlife/2008/01/20/is-openid-like-digital-identity/

The linked-to Digital Identity site is effectively down now (and has been for several years, according to the Internet Wayback Machine), but previous versions show that "Digital Identity Technology is designed and built by Ascio Technologies Inc.":

http://www.ascio.com/

It might be worth checking in with them about a non-assertion covenant. If you're looking to contact (either of) the inventors personally, O'Reilly Media has a page on Nikolaj Nyholm:

http://radar.oreilly.com/nikolaj/

This one looks promising because identity is mentioned. I also found a LinkedIn page for one "Hans Hurvig", but other than the location (Copenhagen) there's nothing to show that he's related to the Hans who copatented an identity technology.

-Shade