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ARTICLE · 05 MARCH 1998

The Millennium Timebomb - Legal Considerations For Computer Users

A&L Goodbody
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IrelandMedia, Telecoms, IT, Entertainment
Maria Kelly, Solicitor, in A & L Goodbody's Commercial Department and Member of its Intellectual Property Unit, looks at the implications of the Year 2000 for computer users.

As a result of increased media coverage over the last few months, most organisations are now aware of the Year 2000 problem. Although the size of the problem is now apparent, many organisations are unsure how to deal with it. Legal considerations will play a crucial role in determining how the problem will be dealt with and who will pay for any solution.

The Problem

To save storage space in program coding, most system suppliers allocated only two digits to the year. Therefore "1995" is stated "95". The Year 2000 is consequently stored as "00". Many computer systems will interpret this as 1900 rather than 2000 causing problems with validations, calculations and storage. Although the problem is greatest with software, it will also affect hardware (including servers), recorded data and any equipment or

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