www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9908/02/ucita.idg -> www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9908/02/ucita.idg/
Under NCCUSL guidelines, draft legislation has to be approved by a majority of states present when votes are taken, and that majority must include representatives from at least 20 states. The vote count, including 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, was 43 in favor of the proposal, six against, two abstaining and two not present. The proposal now goes to various state legislatures for approval. The UCITA deregulates product licensing and covers software, multimedia interactive products, data and databases and the Internet and online information. It further allows vendors to disable software remotely as a means for repossessing products; As would be expected, software vendors are chief among the proponents. They argue that a law is needed that directly affects licenses of their products. The act means both vendors and users will be able to count on a uniform law, instead of relying on differing laws on a state-by-state basis, said Ray Nimmer, a law professor at the University of Houston Law Center and one of the drafters of the law. Opponents include technology consumer groups, various trade associations and some law professors who contend that the UCITA would increase costs to companies while giving software vendors undue power. RELATED SITES: 67 National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL) Note: Pages will open in a new browser window External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
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