“Infoworld broke the story that the National Conference of
Commissioners on Uniform States Law in the United States voted to
approve the Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act…
UCITA… gives software manufacturers important advantages over
their customers.
“The reaction has been swift and critical, Richard Stallman
has denounced this law…”because it creates new monopolies and
threatens the free software movement. I concur with
Stallman…”
“The recently adopted UCITA is neomercantilist law. The software
manufactures will be granted monopoly powers for the sake of
stability. What kind of monopoly powers? First, software contracts
will become more enforceable; second, reverse engineering is
prohibited; third, the software manufacturers are authorized to
deactivate by remote control as a means of repossessing software
programs. Finally, all legal guarantees of quality, usability and
hidden defects (vices cachés in French) are hereby
abolished.”