Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2000/03/10/more_class_action_grief/

More class action grief for AOL

Get orff my registry

By Tim Richardson

Posted in On-Prem, 10th March 2000 16:31 GMT

America Online has received yet another class action lawsuit alleging that its AOL 5.0 software damages PCs. The proposed class action lawsuit filed in Federal Court in Denver, Colorado, yesterday claims that AOL "violated federal electronic communications law by releasing software that, without adequate warning, made major configuration changes to users' computers". The lawsuit also claims that AOL failed to inform AOL 5.0 users that the program would make changes to their computers' operating systems and would interfere with their ability to connect to the competing ISP networks. Seattle attorney, Steve Berman, filed the lawsuit on behalf of all Colorado residents using AOL 5.0 under the Stored Wire and Electronic Communications and Transactional Records Access Act. This is believed to the second class action lawsuit filed by Berman. Last month he filed a similar action against AOL in King County Superior Court, Washington State. The Colorado lawsuit was brought by EZ Bookings Inc, a Steamboat Springs, Colorado, company. According to the complaint, Xavier N Reyna, president of EZ Bookings and a professional computer consultant, spent more than 20 hours unravelling and fixing files corrupted by installing AOL 5.O on his firm's computer. "My client dug in and began looking at what AOL did to his system and was floored," said Berman. "He discovered that AOL 5.0 went in and changed the Windows registry, which is the most complex segment of the operating system -- the DNA of the machine." "To think that AOL's software -- without warning or permission -- put its corporate thumb-print right in the middle of the registry is unbelievable," he said. According to Berman, AOL 5.0 is a brazen attempt to force consumers to use AOL. AOL spokesman, Rich D'Amato, reiterated earlier claims that the lawsuit had "no basis in fact or law." He said it was the same lawsuit simply filed in a different jurisdiction. ® Related stories: AOL hit by second class action AOL scoffs at class action