UCITA passed in MD

InfoWorld Has an Article on the UCITA, a potentially damaging law.

\”Although totally outgunned by the deep pockets of the software lobby, the anti-UCITA forces, headed up by 4Cite (For a Competitive Information and Technology Economy, the anti-UCITA coalition to which InfoWorld belongs), did a heroic job of fighting against the bill while it was debated in the Maryland Legislature. And enough Maryland legislators got the message that several amendments to significantly defang UCITA were given consideration, particularly in the Senate.\”

InfoWorld Has an Article on the UCITA, a potentially damaging law.

\”Although totally outgunned by the deep pockets of the software lobby, the anti-UCITA forces, headed up by 4Cite (For a Competitive Information and Technology Economy, the anti-UCITA coalition to which InfoWorld belongs), did a heroic job of fighting against the bill while it was debated in the Maryland Legislature. And enough Maryland legislators got the message that several amendments to significantly defang UCITA were given consideration, particularly in the Senate.\”The law approved by both houses, however, contains mostly cosmetic changes while leaving all the dangerous stuff untouched. You might have heard that Maryland\’s version of UCITA protects consumers against defective software by not allowing vendors to disclaim the implied warranty. That would be a significant change if it weren\’t for UCITA\’s narrow definition of a consumer: It applies only to those who acquire a product \”primarily for personal, family, or household purposes\” and specifically not for \”professional or commercial purposes.\” Unless you buy a word processor only to write letters to Aunt Jane, it\’s not a consumer transaction under Maryland\’s UCITA and you\’re out of luck if the product doesn\’t work.