The UCITA (Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act), drafted by large software companies, to become a law that helps large software companies, is beginning to face some serious legal challenges – and challengers:

``The ABA [American Bar Association] was expected to vote on a resolution to oppose the measure on Monday or Tuesday during its annual meeting. However, the issue has sparked heated debate within the organization, and the resolution is expected to be withdrawn. Instead, the ABA is in the process of scheduling a meeting with the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL), the group that drafted the measure, to investigate UCITA and its potential effects.

``In exchange, NCCUSL has agreed not to push the measure in state legislatures until after the meeting, which will probably take place sometime in November....

``Though UCITA measures have been approved in Maryland and Virginia, they've come under fire for favoring corporate interests over consumers and leaving purchasers of products with little recourse when it comes to faulty software. Many software makers hope to rely on UCITA to protect their efforts to control reverse engineering of their products or let them dictate the courts where people who sue them must file. For example, a license on a Corel product required those who purchased the software outside of the company's homeland of Canada to only bring suit in Ireland.''

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