To Catch an E-Thief — Under Federal Property Law
The fundamental shift for businesses in the past 15 years from paper documents to computer data has forced the courts to decide whether intangible electronic data should enjoy the same legal protections as physical property.
Because of this shift, it is important to review the judicial response to the electronic-data issue in the context of a federal criminal statute, the National Stolen Property Act (NSPA), and common law conversion.
The NSPA makes it a felony for one who “transports, transmits, or transfers in interstate or foreign commerce any goods, wares, merchandise … of the value of $5,000 or more, knowing the same to have been stolen, converted or taken by fraud.” Conversion is the state civil cause of action for the theft of property.