Diverse Groups Unite to Oppose UCITA
Staff -- Library Journal, 2/7/2000
A coalition including Virginia business leaders and public information advocates have formed 4CITE, an acronym which translates into "For a Competitive Information and Technology Economy," to oppose the controversial Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA). If ratified in state legislatures, UCITA would grant broad new powers to software and information vendors, including the ability to shut down mission-critical software remotely -- without court approval and without liability --to avoid liability for damage caused by known defects, and to allow software vendors to prohibit the transfer of software from one organization to another, even in the course of a merger or acquisition. It is anticipated that a version of UCITA will be introduced in several states over the next year, and according to 4CITE spokersperson Skip Lockwood, the group, an odd mix of library groups, major corporations, publishers, and software makers, will vigorously oppose UCITA wherever it is introduced. "We support the development of high-quality computer and information technology and the growth of fair and competitive markets in technology licensing and electronic commerce," says Lockwood, "but UCITA is unbalanced, anti-quality, and anti-competitive and will not promote these objectives." For more information on UCITA, visit http://www.nccusl.org.
