UCC changes pose problems for developers

A new law is being drafted that will govern all contracts for the development, sale, and support of computer software in the United States. This law is being drafted by attorneys and by trade association representatives who don't understand software engineering. The new law, Article 2B, will be a section of the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC). Its scope includes almost all transactions in information, and much electronically based contracting, so rules from these and other areas will now come into play in software. Article 2B will be a complex body of law: the December 1996 draft ran 216 pages. If you care about quality related standards or about the underlying structure of the relationships among buyers, sellers, and developers in this industry, you should pay attention to this work.