FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 23, 2002

Media Contacts: Kathleen Nagel, SIM
Kathleen_nagel@sba.com
312.527.6734, ext. 4734

Stephen Flowers, AITP
sflowers@scantec.com
352.332.2093, ext. 14

 

IT Professional Organizations Unite to Oppose UCITA

 

CHICAGO - The Society for Information ManagementÂ(r) (SIM) and the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) jointly announce their continued opposition to the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act, commonly known as UCITA. 

"We see UCITA as fundamentally flawed and unfairly biased in favor of the software and information industries and against their customers, corporate and individual consumers" states Stephen Finnerty, SIM's President. "We believe that UCITA proponents have failed to justify the need for such a sweeping and complex law."

Existing law, which includes Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) Article 2, contract law and federal intellectual property law, has proven adequate to address legal issues regarding computer information transactions and in balancing the interests of producers and users.  "It may eventually be desirable to develop uniform law concerning software and digital information,  states Kevin Jetton, president of AITP.  "But the consensus needed to achieve that goal will not be possible unless the approach taken in UCITA, making customers' rights depend on delayed boilerplate, is abandoned."

SIM and AITP's announcement of their positions come on the heels of the amendments proposed in May by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL). These amendments still have not satisfied the issues that SIM and AITP's members have with the proposed legislation.

These two organizations represent information technology and management practitioners in corporations from all industries - including procurement officers, leading academicians and students of information management. Members of these professional associations represent billions of dollars in IT spending annually.

The American Bar Association Working Group on UCITA has advised redrafting UCITA because it is too difficult for even seasoned lawyers to understand and apply.  SIM and AITP concur and note that corporations would have to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of additional legal hours managing IT contracts - with no value-add to the products and services provided. This could only mean higher prices for consumers.

 SIM and AITP are committed to working with their members to oppose the adoption of this proposed law in any state.

The Society for Information Management(r) (SIM) is made up of nearly 2,600 members, including senior IT executives, prominent academicians, consultants, and other leaders who shape the management of information technology. In partnership with its 28 chapters, SIM provides international leadership and education on the successful management of IT to achieve business objectives.

Founded in 1951, the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)  is one of the oldest associations representing information technology professionals across the United States and Canada. AITP includes nearly 10,000 professional and student members serving in technical leadership positions in business, industry and governmental organizations throughout the world.