FTC to Hold Symposium on Warranty on Warranty Protection for High-Tech Products and Services

On October 26-27, 2000, the Federal Trade Commission will hold a forum on warranty protection for software and other high-tech goods and services marketed to consumers. The forum will provide a vehicle for a discussion of how government, private industry and consumer advocates can work together to ensure that consumers receive adequate information when shopping for software and other computer information products and services. The forum will address a wide range of issues, including: 1) what warranty protections are afforded to purchasers or users of mass market software; 2) the implications of using licenses in consumer software transactions; 3) consumer protection issues related to the use of "shrinkwrap" and "clickwrap" agreements; and 4) the role of the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act in the marketing, sale or licensing of software.

Several of these issues recently have been considered in the context of the Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act (UCITA), a model uniform state law drafted by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws (NCCUSL). As such, the issues surrounding UCITA will also be addressed at this forum. Held at FTC Headquarters in Washington, D.C., the forum is open to the public, and there is no formal registration process for those wishing to attend. Participants will include representatives from the software industry, state government, European Commission, consumer advocates, and academia. See the Commission's web site at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/workshops/warranty/index.html for a complete listing of all participants and the topics to be addressed during the forum.