Legal Definitions - Y2K Warranty

A Y2K warranty is a type of warranty that guarantees that software, hardware, or a product with computer components will work correctly on and after January 1, 2000. These warranties were prevalent in the late 1990s when there was widespread concern that computer systems would fail due to the change in the millennium.

• A computer manufacturer offers a Y2K warranty on its new line of desktop computers, ensuring that they will function correctly after the turn of the millennium.
• A software company provides a Y2K warranty for its accounting software, guaranteeing that it will accurately handle dates and calculations after January 1, 2000.

These examples illustrate how companies offered Y2K warranties to assure customers that their products would not be affected by the Y2K bug, which was a concern at the time. The warranties were a way for companies to demonstrate their confidence in their products and to alleviate customer fears about potential problems.