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AFFECT, Americans for Fair Electronic Commerce Transactions, is a broad-based national coalition of consumers, retail and manufacturing businesses, insurers, technology professionals and librarians opposed to the Uniform Computer Information Transaction Act (UCITA). AFFECT has been dedicated to educating the public and policy makers about the dangers of UCITA. AFFECT members have been following UCITA since the early 90s and the coalition has been involved in every state where UCITA has been legislatively active since 2000.

History of UCITA

History of AFFECT

Founded in 1999 as 4Cite (For a Competitive Information Technology Environment) and re-named Americans for Fair Electronic Commerce Transactions in 2000, the coalition formed to defeat attempts to pass the
Uniform Computer Information Transactions Act (UCITA), a proposed state contract law governing contracts for computer information, in state legislatures.

AFFECT is a 501( c )(4) non-profit mutual benefit association that represents over sixty for-profit and non-profit organizations including consumer advocates, libraries, retail and manufacturing concerns, computer information professionals and financial institutions. AFFECT members followed UCITA during its drafting as Article 2 B of the Uniform Commercial Code in the 90s, throughout its subsequent legislative life from 2000 - 2004. AFFECT continues to monitor state legislatures for UCITA and other related legislation and to promote anti-UCITA “bomb-shelter” bills.

Summary of Coalition Accomplishments

AFFECT members opposed UCITA in all of the states where it has been legislatively active.

• AFFECT members have helped to stop or delay UCITA
in at least twenty states since 2000

• AFFECT successfully supported anti-UCITA “bomb-shelter” legislation in 4 states

• AFFECT drafted and submitted a package of thirty
amendments to the NCCUSL UCITA Standby Committee (11/01)

• AFFECT members representing consumers, libraries, insurance, manufacturing and computer professionals participated in
the NCCUSL UCITA Standby Committee amendment hearings. (11/01)

• AFFECT received funding from the John D. and Catherine T. Mac Arthur Foundation to develop and publish 12 Principles for Fair Commerce in Software and Other Digital Products in 2004

• AFFECT is continuing its commitment to promote fair business practices in software and digital product transactions through its development of the STOP BEFORE YOU CLICK campaign, an educational and legislative initiative begun in 2005

• AFFECT established a new website, www.fairterms.org, to offer educational resources to promote the STOP BEFORE YOU CLICK campaign in 2005

AFFECT publications

• 12 Principles for Fair Commerce in Software and Other Digital Products(available in both general public and technical versions) (2004)

• Response to the NCCUSL Proposed Amendments (6/02)

• Response to NCCUSL May 29th Report of the UCITA Standby Committee (6/28/02)

• Response to Dr. Robert Hahn’s Economic Assessment of UCITA (a report subsidized by Microsoft) (11/15/01)

• Response to NCCUSL Commentary on UCITA 2002 Revisions (12/4/02)

Members

American Association of Law Libraries
American Council of Life Insurers
American Library Association
Art Libraries Society of North America
Association of Information Technology Professionals Association of Research Libraries
Association for Computing Machinery
Boeing
Bold-Vision
Caterpillar
Computer & Communications Industry Association
Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility
ConocoPhillips
Consumer Federation of America
Consumer Project on Technology
Consumers Union
Corporate Contracts
D.C. Insurance Federation
Deere & Company
Deseret Mutual
Electronic Frontier Foundation
Georgia Pacific
Hartford
InfoWorld
Investment Company Institute
Medical Library Association
Metropolitan Life Insurance Company
National Consumer Law Center
National Society of Professional Engineers
Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company
New York Life Insurance Company
Principal Financial Group
Property Casualty Insurers Association of America
Prudential Financial
Public Knowledge
Society for Information Management
Software Engineering Ethics Research Institute
Special Libraries Association
USAA
Virginia Association of Law Libraries

The information contained in these pages may be downloaded, reproduced and redistributed as long as it has not been altered and is properly attributed. Permission to use AFFECT materials for publications may easily be attained by contacting us.