Laws Circling Over The Year 2000 Bug Essay, Research Paper

Lawyers circling over 2000 time bomb

Summary

In the year 2000 on January 1, there will be a shutdown of half the computers world wide. This is due to the much talked about year 2000 bug. The bug deals with a computers ability to read years as two digits such that 1997 reads 97 and 2000 reads 00. Unfortunately the 00 is understood as 1900. This means that any computer on Jan. 1, 2000 will either shut down or be damaged. It is this idea that leads to the judicial area of the problem. There faces companies who have produced these flawed computer systems a substantial loss of money due to litigation against them.

Analysis

The problem of the year 2000 bug demands immediate attention. If the problem isn’t fixed by January 1 then there could be huge problems ranging from lost report cards to traffic lights ceasing to function. All these problems can’t be individually fixed in time, so a better approach needs developing. One of the ways to motivate computer companies is to threaten them with litigation. The estimated litigation adds up to more than $1 trillion, and the U.S. economy’s yearly output is only $7 trillion. These numbers add up to $10 of litigation for every $1 spent trying to solve the problem.

Using litigation as an incentive isn’t the only purpose. Many lawyers have been dedicating their days to studying the legal issues involved in the year 2000 bug. There are many computer systems in place today that were put there after the discovery of the problem. Many businesses and corporations are infected with this bug unjustifiably. Compensation is rightfully due to these establishments according to their rights given to them.