Is information property? (Legally Speaking)

Abstract

"On one side of the battle over freedom of information are people who believe that sharing information with other interested people is a good thing even if the information comes from someone who does not want it to be shared. Individuals and companies that would prefer that the information remain proprietary are on the other side of the fight. The criminal charges leveled against electronic publisher Craig Neidorf reveal the differing views that computing professionals have about the nature of information. Craig Neidorf was accused of publishing information about the 911 telephone system that he received from a proprietary document. One of the questions that comes up is whether the information was truly proprietary. Another is whether the government could prove that Neidorf was trying to acquire money or property from the rightful owner of the document. Although charges against Neidorf have been dropped, it may be wise to use the event as an occasion to ask questions such as why the law has largely resisted treating information as property."