Software bugs are not just annoying or inconvenient. They're expensive.
...bugs and glitches cost the U.S. economy about $59.5 billion a year.
- Reuters ("Software Errors Cost Billions")
I am surprised it took them this long to initiate a study into the matter. And according to one person, the cost of software would increase if they were held liable, but much or the free software I have used is about the most bug-free I have come across. Examples:
ZoneAlarm &
Sygate Personal Firewall,
Linux (any distro),
Trillian,
Getright, &
Winamp to name only the most common.