LEGISLATIVE ADVOCACY * GOVERNMENT RELATIONS COMMITTEE

UNIFORM COMPUTER INFORMATION TRANSACTION ACT (UCITA)

• UCITA is a proposed revision to the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) that would standardize the law regulating the licensing of software and other forms of digital information. While UCITA has not been introduced to date in California, NOCALL/AALL, the larger library community, consumer groups, computer and information technology developers, and businesses oppose the measure for its detrimental impact on public access to information resources as well as its anti-consumer bias.
  
  
• Useful background information about UCITA is available from the Americans for Fair Electronic Commerce Transactions (AFFECT) at http://affect.ucita.com.  AFFECT is a coalition of associations (including library associations) lobbying against UCITA. The American Library Association (ALA) provides "UCITA Resources" (issue briefs, links to other UCITA information Websites, position papers, etc.).  Click here to visit the ALA site.  The text of UCITA is available at http://www.law.upenn.edu/bll/ulc/ucita/ucita1200.htm.  The text of recently proposed amendments to UCITA is available at the AALL Washington Affairs website at http://www.aallnet.org/aallwash/pr08052002.html.