2 ms·
I know you want to make a statement about piracy not being bad as theft, but you're wrong here. The Economic Espionage Act makes theft of trade secrets a feder
by patio11 15y ago
I know you want to make a statement about piracy not being bad as theft, but you're wrong here.
The Economic Espionage Act makes theft of trade secrets a federal crime. The act defines a trade secret as "all forms and types of financial, business, scientific, technical, economic, or engineering information, including patterns, plans, compilations, program devices, formulas, designs, prototypes, methods, techniques, processes, procedures, programs, or codes, whether tangible or intangible and whether or how stored, compiled, or memorialized physically, electronically, graphically, photographically, or in writing if the owner has taken reasonable measures to keep such information secret, and the information derives independent economic value (actual or potential) from not being generally known to, and not being readily ascertainable through proper means by, the public. The act defines owner as "the person or entity in whom or in which rightful legal or equitable title to, or license in, the trade secret is reposed.
So: regardless of what sophomoric opinions you have about copying music, copying trade secrets really is, in black letter federal law, theft.
- dalke 15y agoHuh? Where did I ever imply "not as bad"? The previous poster said "technically" and I thought I would be a smart-ass by saying "well technically ...". In any case, given the description here, how do you determine that theft of trade secrets is also involved? Pretend I'm a sophomore who doesn't know better and who can quote Wikipedia that a trade secret "confers some sort of economic benefit on its holder (where this benefit must derive specifically from its not being generally known, not just from the value of the information itself)". :) What's the implied trade secret above and beyond that of the copyright? (Also, have you established that this crosses interstate lines? Otherwise the Economic Espionage Act does not apply and you need to deal with state trade secrets laws. OTOH, given the federal reach of the interstate commerce clause in Gonzales v. Raich, I realize that this is not a strong counter question.)
- dalke 15y agoOkay, how is this worth -2? 0 I can see, but several others downvoted as well. I seriously don't see how trade secret law applies to this case. Trade secret law rarely comes up in the context of software, so please treat this as a chance for education, not downvoting.