The John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law Volume 16 Issue 2 Journal of Computer & Information Law Article 6 - Winter 1997 Winter 1998 The Implied Warranty of Merchantability in Software Contracts: A Warranty No One Dares to Give and How to Change That, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 393 (1998) Robert W. Gomulkiewicz Follow this and additional works at: https://repository.law.uic.edu/jitpl Part of the Computer Law Commons, Contracts Commons, Internet Law Commons, Privacy Law Commons, and the Science and Technology Law Commons Recommended Citation Robert W. Gomulkiewicz, The Implied Warranty of Merchantability in Software Contracts: A Warranty No One Dares to Give and How to Change That, 16 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 393 (1998) https://repository.law.uic.edu/jitpl/vol16/iss2/6 This Symposium is brought to you for free and open access by UIC Law Open Access Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The John Marshall Journal of Information Technology & Privacy Law by an authorized administrator of UIC Law Open Access Repository. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY IN SOFTWARE CONTRACTS: A WARRANTY NO ONE DARES TO GIVE AND HOW TO CHANGE THAT by ROBERT W. GOMULKIEWICZt "There is no more puzzling question than what this word [merchanta- ble] means." 1 Karl Llewellyn A disclaimer of ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITH- OUT LIMITING THE IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABIL- ITY, greets virtually everyone who prepares to use a computer software product. 2 Software publishers disclaim the implied warranty of merchantability because they do not know what they might be promising if they give it.