6 March 2000 The Hon. Casper R. Taylor, Jr. Dear Speaker Taylor, I am writing on behalf of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-United States of America (IEEE-USA) to express our concerns regarding the Maryland Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (H.B.19, S.B.142). Provisions of UCITA would provide a legal foundation and sanction for abusive business practices that could seriously harm consumers, businesses of all sizes, and software developers. UCITA would undermine the carefully-achieved balance of protections between owners and purchasers of intellectual property provided by Federal intellectual property law. In addition to allowing abuse of software purchasers, UCITA would stifle innovation and competition in the software industry and would straightjacket efforts by computer users to provide information security protection for their systems. Enclosed is a copy of IEEE-USA’s recent position statement "Opposing Adoption of the Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act By the States." This position statement outlines these and other substantial problems with the proposed law, and their negative consequences for consumers and innovation. We hope that you will take these concerns into account as you deliberate on the Maryland UCITA bill. IEEE-USA promotes the career and technology interests of IEEE's 240,000 U.S. members, including the approximately 10,000 electrical, electronics, computer and software engineers who are IEEE members and who live and work in the state of Maryland. We would be pleased to help answer any questions you may have about this issue. Please contact Raymond Paul at 202-785-0017 (ext. 8331) or by email to r.paul@ieee.org if we can be of any assistance. Sincerely, Merrill W. Buckley, Jr. (Note: This letter was delivered to members of the Maryland House of Delegates on March 6 and the Maryland Senate on March 7.) The Institute of Electrical
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