<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"><html>
<head>
<meta name="GENERATOR" content="IncrediMail 1.0">
</head>
<BODY background="" bgColor=#ffffff style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: 0px 0px; FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; MARGIN: 1px" scroll=yes ORGYPOS="0">
<TABLE border=0 cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 id=INCREDIMAINTABLE width="95%">
<TR>
<TD id=INCREDITEXTREGION width="100%" style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial; FONT-SIZE: 10pt; PADDING-LEFT: 7px; PADDING-RIGHT: 7px"
>
<DIV>Fred,</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I can think of several scenarios where the owner of a motor vehicle
is not a responsible party. For example, if your car is stolen and then is
involved in an accident, you are not responsible.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Owners' responsibility is a function of their allowing someone else
to drive the vehicle. In all cases, the operator of the vehicle is
responsible, without exception insofar as I am aware. Therefore, the
statement that the owner is deemed to be *the* responsible party is
untrue. Depending upon the circumstances, the vehicle owner may be *a*
responsible party.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Manufacturers have been held liable in many cases in which they had
no adjudicated *criminal* liability. When private parties sue, the
negligence they claim is a civil standard of negligence. Criminal
negligence is only determined in a criminal suit, brought by a
governmental unit on behalf of "the people" and not by any individual or
individuals.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>A manufacturer of a computer OS might in fact be found grossly
negligent in releasing a product that is defective based upon a standard
of reasonable fitness for purpose.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>David</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV id=IncrediOriginalMessage><I>-------Original Message-------</I></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV id=receivestrings>
<DIV dir=ltr style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" <i><B>From:</B></I> <A
href="mailto:discuss@ntlug.org">discuss@ntlug.org</A></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" <i><B>Date:</B></I> Friday, August
10, 2001 11:25:11 AM</DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" <i><B>To:</B></I> <A
href="mailto:discuss@ntlug.org">discuss@ntlug.org</A></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" <i><B>Subject:</B></I> Re:
[NTLUG:Discuss] Real dangers of CR2</DIV></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>Under the laws in the USA, the owner of the "at fault"
vehicle in any<BR>motoring incident is deemed to be the responsible party,
and therefore<BR>liable for damages. The manufacturer of said vehicle has
to my<BR>knowledge only been held responsible in such cases as they could
be<BR>shown to be criminally negligent, having knowingly sold a defective,
or<BR>unsafe vehicle. I would presume that the manufacturer of a computer
OS,<BR>or other software, might at least concentrate some of their defense
in<BR>that area.<BR></TD>
</TR>
<TR>
<TD id=INCREDIFOOTER width="100%">
<TABLE cellPadding=0 cellSpacing=0 width="100%">
<TR>
<TD width="100%"></TD>
<TD align=middle id=INCREDISOUND vAlign=bottom></TD>
<TD align=middle id=INCREDIANIM vAlign=bottom></TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE><SPAN
id=IncrediStamp><SPAN dir=ltr><FONT face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"
size=2>_________________________________________________<BR><FONT
face="Comic Sans MS" size=2><I>IncrediMail</I> - <B>Email has finally
evolved</B> - </FONT><A
href="http://www.incredimail.com/redir.asp?ad_id=109"><FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=3><B><U>Click
Here</U></B></FONT></A></SPAN></SPAN></FONT>
</BODY>
</html>