UK Court Finds Company Liable For Software Defects 205
normsky writes "A software company's stipulation that it couldn't be held accountable for the poor performance of its software was unfair and could not be enforced, the High Court has said. 'Pursuant to the Sale of Goods Act 1979, a term is to be implied into the contract that Entirety would be fit for the purpose for which it was bought, namely that the system would increase revenue and occupancy levels and would allow quicker check-in and check-out, including accurately processing groups and making changes to group reservations while preserving the accuracy of the system. I am satisfied that Entirety was not fit for the purpose for which it was sold,' his Honor Judge Toulmin wrote."
In other news (Score:5, Funny)
Mr. Ballmer woke up in a sweat in the middle of the night, not knowing exactly why...
Re:What about OSS (Score:2, Funny)
From now on the purpose of all code sold will be "It juggles ones and zeroes."
Unofficially, it might do something useful.
Re:What about OSS (Score:3, Funny)
Er, the whole point is you can't assign away any responsibilities if you've sold it at all. It must be fit for purpose.
It's a limited ruling, but my hope is that one day a Ralph Nader crusader will arise in our midst declaring Windows to be "Unsafe at any Speed". ;-)
The end of the Microsoft era (Score:2, Funny)
Jim looked at the old storage with nostalgia. Here were many thousands of virtual machines which once served the grand purpose of moving the enterprise forward. For the most part they were identical smart clones but here and there the user had customized to suit his needs in novel and interesting ways. They might have been notable innovations if anyone cared. But space is space, and nobody had accessed these VMs in a very long time.
So he clicked delete and they were gone - the last Windows desktops. They won't be missed. This is how we gain room for progress: by taking out the trash.
Re:Yay! finally some accountability for all those (Score:3, Funny)
ROFL (Score:5, Funny)
... MS ... contract ... accountability on both sides.
Congrats. You've made my day. That has to be one of the funniest sentences I've read here on Slashdot.
Tell me, when was the last time you read a EULA for a Microsoft product?
Re:step-by-step guide for Americans (Score:1, Funny)
Dude, you're using GOTOs? [arizona.edu]
Re:ROFL (Score:3, Funny)
From the Windows EULA
"Some states/jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you"
It tries to take away your rights , but fails ....