Law regarding borrowing your neighbors wireless internet - NV

[TaoWanderer]

Saw this article about a guy sitting in his car stealing internet from a coffee shop that was giving it away for free and they charged him with a felony punishable by up to five years in jail and a fine of up to $10,000. That was in Maryland and it looks like they tried to pass a law making intentional theft of wireless Internet access a crime. Though it sounds like it already was a crime being that they charged him with a felony.

Maryland: Proposed Md. bill would make intentional theft of wireless Internet access a crime

 

[justalayman]

I see real problems with laws such as that. Unless they have a requirement of payment or a purchase, they simply opened their system for use. If they do not take any means to restrict people not given permission to use their system, I see it as a failing on the business' part.

in the situation with your relatives, the neighbor is not intentionally allowing people to use his system. With the coffee shop dude, they intentionally opened their system to use. There are means to prevent users not authorized from using the system and if those means are employed and somebody hacks into the system, then I can see the crime. If it is simply an open system intended to provide free service for the public, then I see no crime.

and here is a quote from the coffee shop owner:

In the story, the coffee shop owner said the man could have come inside and used the wireless connection for free.

I know this is not the same but that would be comparable to arresting a guy setting outside the store near a window for using the light from inside to read his book. If you do not charge for it and you allow "it" to escape your walls, I do not see how you could prosecute somebody for using it.

so, what happens if a guy is inside using the system and leaves his computer on when he leaves. If there are any transmissions to or from his computer to the system once he has walked through the door, has he now broken the law?

 

[swalsh411]

I know this is not the same but that would be comparable to arresting a guy setting outside the store near a window for using the light from inside to read his book.

This analogy doesn't work because using light from a store window does not take anything away from the store. If you "borrow" internet and are a heavy downloader you degrade the service of the person paying for it.

 

[justalayman]

This analogy doesn't work because using light from a store window does not take anything away from the store. If you "borrow" internet and are a heavy downloader you degrade the service of the person paying for it.

I understand but you still take nothing that you would not be allowed had you been on the other side of the glass.

and we are talking about free service.

 

[TaoWanderer]

Looks like the cases that have been prosecuted seem to be people parked in front of a business or house.

Any idea if there have been any cases against people in their homes stealing wifi from the neighbors?