Law Commons^™

Digital Signature Law Of The United Nations, European Union, United Kingdom And United States: Promotion Of Growth In E-Commerce With Enhanced Security, Stephen E. Blythe

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Digital signatures enhance the ability of contracting parties to authenticate electronic communication. Sophisticated encryption and decryption technology is used to verify the identity of the other party to the electronic transaction. Digital signature law, necessary for adjudication of disputes between parties in e-commerce, is still in its infancy. This article covers basic digital signature law of the United Nations, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The United Nations’ Model Law of Electronic Commerce of 1996 (“MLEC”) had many implications. The MLEC approved the utilization of electronic signatures, stated that electronic signatures would have the same legal …

The Validation Of Shrink-Wrap And Click-Wrap Licenses By Virginia's Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act, Scott J. Spooner

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Shrink-wrap and click-wrap licenses play a vital role in enabling businesses and consumers to gain access to and use a variety of computer hardware and software. Such licenses effectively transfer computer-related technology to customers, vendors, and consumers by defining the terms of use of the software without implicating the "first sale doctrine" of the Copyright Act. While shrink-wrap and click-wrap licenses have become essential to the software industry and the new economy as a whole, the law applicable to such licenses has been unclear and unsettled. Courts have struggled to develop a coherent framework governing the validity and enforceability of …

Remarks On Ucita In Practice: Attorney Views, Richard Grier

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

I agreed to talk about the default sections, which I'm going to talk about in just a minute. I learned this morning by listening to Mr. Ring, the default sections take up two-thirds of the Act. And I didn't realize that when I agreed to take up the default sections, but actually that's okay because the other thing I found during the day is that practically every other speaker you have heard has talked about default sections. Most of what I have to tell you, you've heard a little piece of already. What's different, though, is that I want to …

Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act: Bringing Commercial Law Into The 21st Century, Richard L. Grier, Nancyellen Keane, Peter A. Gilbert

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

The e-commerce revolution has redefined the way business is transacted everywhere. Meanwhile, the body of commercial law lags behind the fast pace of technological changes and has yet to effectively address the numerous issues presented by radical changes in the world of commerce such as electronic contracts, electronic signatures, shrinkwrap agreements, and click-wrap agreements. In an effort to establish the Commonwealth of Virginia as a national leader on this subject, in 2000 the Virginia General Assembly passed the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act ("UCITA"). UCITA legislation has been introduced in a handful of other states but the only other state …

The Y2k Problem: Proposed Statute To Guide Triers Of Fact In Determinations Of Negligence, William D. Horgan

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Following the coming new year, the Y2K Problem will create problems worldwide. While the exact extent of its harm is open to debate, there is no disagreement over its inevitability. In fact, some computer-related companies (including the makers of Norton Anti-Virus and Quicken for Windows have already been sued for damages arising from allegedly non-Y2K-compliant products. While various actors at all levels of business and government will be subject to legal liability for such malfunctions, this article will examine the legal liability of software producers and engineers under current remedial theories. Software manufacturers are a logical choice for this examination …

The Developing Legal Infrastructure And The Globalization Of Information: Constructing A Framework For Critical Choices In The New Millennium Internet -- Character, Content And Confusion, Tomas A. Lipinski

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

This paper reviews recent attempts to extend traditional property rights and other information controls and regulations into new media, such as cyberspace, primarily the World Wide Web. It reviews developments in copyright, trademark, trademark dilution, misappropriation, trespass, censorship, tort, privacy and other legal doctrines as they are reflected in recent United States case law and legislation, and to a lesser extent, in international agreements. Legal problems often arise because there is a conflict of viewpoints in how to best characterize space on the Internet, specifically the World Wide Web. Some argue that traditional ownership rights should apply, or perhaps a …

Products Liability In The New Millennium: Products Liability And The Y2k Crisis, Philip J. Landau

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Imagine the following scenario. It's December 31, 1999 and two minutes until midnight. The champagne has just been poured and everyone is joyfully preparing to welcome in the new millennium. The clock ticks and the countdown begins. While millions of New Yorkers push and shove, millions more gather around television sets to catch a glimpse of the famous "ball" as it begins its descent in Times Square. Five . . . Four . . . Three . . . Two . . . One . . . "Happy New Year!!!" Little does the crowd know, that as they disperse and …

Overreaching Provisions In Software License Agreements, Michael Liberman

Richmond Journal of Law & Technology

Historically, software license agreements emerged as the most popular means of protection of proprietary rights in computer software. As a common form of contract and trade secret protection, software licenses coexist with other forms of intellectual property rights such as patent and copyright. The importance of these forms of protection has recently increased. Where the licensor fails to consider the implications of the relation between these forms of protection, the licensor's attempts to maximize contractual protection while restricting the licensee's activities regarding the licensed software may result in overreaching. Under these circumstances, a court may invalidate the license agreement in …