Microsoft: Software Liability
Reuters | at | by Mike
Microsoft a company known for its popular software and its very deep pockets -- but also glitches in some products -- is a liability lawyer's dream: the big game target that always gets away. For decades, software makers have been protected from lawsuits as U.S. courts have struggled with the task of defining something as abstract and fast-changing as computer code. But now a growing number of voices within the industry and government are arguing for software to be held to the same standards as other products, a potential reform that puts the world's largest software vendor squarely in its sights.
If and when it comes, Microsoft, no stranger to titanic legal battles, will be prepared, having weathered long-running antitrust litigation in both the United States and a parallel probe in Europe. But this time, the company has also taken pre-emptive steps against a backdrop of increasing complaints to improve the security of its software. In general, Microsoft says it is unfairly targeted because of the popularity of its software, which run everything from PCs and handheld devices to servers and game consoles. The products are even less buggy than others, in terms of per capita usage, Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer has said.