Archive of UserLand's first discussion group, started October 5, 1998.

UCITA being voted on tonight in Maryland

Author:Adam Loszchuk
Posted:4/4/2000; 8:21:41 AM
Topic:UCITA being voted on tonight in Maryland
Msg #:15924
Prev/Next:15923 / 15925

I got the following from Ars Technica:

UCITA has wended its way out of committee, and is headed for a discussion on the floor tonight in the MD Senate. It's already passed the House with amendments. To be blunt, the bill still guts consumer and small business rights. Email your senator by 8 PM tonight (when the session starts) and let them know how you feel. The truth is, most of them have no idea what's really in this bill; nor does the general public. They *need* you to inform them of what's in there. If you need to look up who your senator is, there's a form here.

The highlights that are likely to get their attention at this point are those that deal with the voters' rights as consumers. The technical issues are, by large, above their heads, unfortunately. A few particular points of note include:

- Eliminates the right of return after installing software. - Cannot transfer a license, meaning that even if you delete or uninstall a program, you cannot lend it or give it to anyone else. - Pretty well destroys the right of perfect tender. The company is no longer held accountable for defects, is not required to fix them, and does not have to disclose known defects. Combined with the restrictions that can exist on reviewers and evaluators, this can be truly frightening.

Keep in mind that this is being voted on tonight, which means email, phone calls, or faxes. Sorry for the short notice, but I only just found out today, myself. I'm hopefully going to get a couple of amendments drafted, which even if not adopted, will at least make them more aware of the issues here.



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