[UCI-Linux] UCI and Microsoft-CA class action settlement

Charlie Zender Charlie Zender <zender@uci.edu>
Fri, 24 Oct 2003 12:49:51 -0700


Hi Steve & NACS,

Last week I sent in my rebate claim under the Microsoft-CA class
action lawsuit settlement. If the cash settlement is
not-oversubscribed, I will get $100-$200 in rebate coupons good for
hardware/software.  
This is all for MS software purchased with UCI/federal research $.
The settlement PR is here

http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2003/jan03/01-10CAClassActionPR.asp

(I tried unsuccessfully to find the website for filing claims.
Claims are handled by some law-firm in the midwest. 
They sent me the claim form last week, either because I was
a registered Windows user, or because I had previously filed a claim,
I can't remember which. Anyway, they shouldn't be too hard to find.
Will someone please post it to uci-linux?).

If I understand the settlement terms correctly, UCI could recoup tens
of thousands of dollars from this settlement. I would like to know: 
1. How will UCI exercise it rights under this settlement? 
2. Is someone in charge of this here at UCI? Or is UCOP handling it?
3. Does UCI plan to claim rebates for the SW purchased through TRC?
4. If so, what is the status of our claim? If not, why not?
I would also like to encourage UCI agressively inform UCI users of
their rights to rebates under this settlement. 

Finally, I would like to suggest that any rebates received by UCI
(e.g., through TRC purchases) that cannot, for whatever reason, be
returned to the original purchaser, be used instead to fund transition
training programs to open source software/open document formats.
This is a _great opportunity_ to help the OSS/ODF transition policy 
presently under consideration by the Academic Senate:

http://dust.ess.uci.edu/uci/uci_oss.pdf

Thanks!
Charlie
-- 
Charlie Zender, zender at uci dot edu, (949) 824-2987, Department of
Earth System Science, University of California, Irvine CA 92697-3100