
"Former Goldman Sachs programmer Sergey Aleynikov, who downloaded source code for the investment firm's high-speed trading system from the company's computers, was wrongly charged with theft of property because
the code did not qualify as a physical object under a federal theft statute, according to a court opinion published Wednesday." This could be a huge deal, if it ever were to be upheld in higher courts. More specifically, "because Aleynikov did not 'assume physical control' over anything when he took the source code, and because he did not thereby 'deprive [Goldman] of its use', Aleynikov did not violate the [National Stolen Property Act]". Well paint me purple with white and red dots and call me a girl scout.
Member since:
2007-08-20
Since this was an Appeals Court ruling, this should hold some weight nationally. It also means that the Supreme Court are the only ones that can overrule the decision.
Of course, you can never tell what this Supreme Court will do...
Disclaimer: IANAL