Products Liability in the New Millennium: Products Liability and the Y2K Crisis

Imagine the following scenario. It\u27s 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 seek their freedom, so are thousands of angry prisoners. An embedded computer chip exists in the cell doors of a maximum security prison. As we enter the Year 2000, the embedded chip does not. It has just become the first victim of the Year 2000, better known as the Y2K problem. The now-escaped convicts go on a riot where many people are injured and killed. As a result, the manufacturer of the locking mechanism is sued under the theory that its product had a defect that caused physical damage to both persons and property

The Y2K Problem: Proposed Statute to Guide Triers of Fact in Determinations of Negligence

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 because they will likely be ultimately liable for most Y2K errors. For instance, if an individual sues his bank for miscalculation of interest arising from Y2K errors, the bank will, in turn, bring an action against the maker of the software responsible for such calculations. This scenario will repeat itself in many contexts

Economic outlook for Y2K is A-OK

Economic conditions - United States ; Gross domestic product