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Ask HN: I found documents on the backseat of a taxi. Can I legally use them?

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Re: Ask HN: I found documents on the backseat of a taxi. Can I legally use them?

#31

Post by smoyer »

If no one knows you have the documents, you can probably trade on confidential information, compete with the company, file a patent before them etc, and I think you stand very little chance of getting caught. I'd recommend reading them and burning them so there is no chance you can be connected to them.

But here's the thing ... if you do something you believe is wrong, illegal or immoral, you'll still have to live with yourself. Being human, having empathy (what if you'd lost your confidential papers), being sympathetic and generally operating within the folkways and mores of society serves a purpose. People who can operate without any of these qualities are classified as sociopaths.

So my recommendation isn't to talk to a lawyer, or take any actions related to the papers. Burn them (preferably without reading them) and keep your inward smile. Living with yourself is more enjoyable if you actually like yourself (and find yourself likeable).

EDIT: Posted this at the same time as kefka ... read his response for a real life application of what I've written. And nice to meet you kefka!

Re: Ask HN: I found documents on the backseat of a taxi. Can I legally use them?

#32

Post by lylejohnson »

manojlds wrote: post #17
Theodores wrote: post #13

Why legally? A couple of days ago I found a wallet with what looked like £40 (Didn't count it), travelcard and bank cards in it. I could have taken the money and put it the rest in the bin. I could have even skimmed the credit/debit cards and gone on a spending spree! But I did not. I went to the local shop and enquired - 'do you know this guy?' The wallet owner actually lived in the flats above the shop and the wall…

Does using the information on the document mean whoever misplaced is going to lose something? Probably not. My point is, the OP's case and your example about the wallet are not the same. PS: if I were the OP I would try to return or destroy them.

It depends on what information the document(s) contain and how OP uses that information, but yes, the person who lost them could certainly lose "something". When that Apple employee misplaced an iPhone prototype a few years ago, it wasn't the monetary value of the prototype itself that Apple was worried about; it was the market advantage they'd lose if their competitors discovered what they'd been working on.

Re: Ask HN: I found documents on the backseat of a taxi. Can I legally use them?

#33

Post by asveikau »

I think you have this thing backwards. Personally if I found something in a cab my first reaction would be "that sucks, I bet someone is really frustrated about this. I would hate that to happen to me."

Your immediate reaction seems to be "how can I turn this into money without legal consequences?" Did you ever consider just doing nothing? Trying to return them?

Re: Ask HN: I found documents on the backseat of a taxi. Can I legally use them?

#34

Post by srgseg »

jacques_chester wrote: post #7

See a lawyer. Seriously. See a lawyer. People on the internet are not lawyers; if they are lawyers, their main advice is go see a lawyer . Law is a profession of tiny details with huge consequences. Those tiny details vary from place to place and from subject to subject. Even lawyers have lawyers. If I learnt one and only one important lesson from my time in law school, it's this: If you have a question of law, go se…

If our only understanding of the law came directly from consulting a lawyer, we'd all be very poor and very ignorant.

There is nothing wrong with asking about the experiences of others who may have asked lawyers similar questions, as long as we understand that we should directly seek a lawyer's advice in proportion to what is at stake.

By sharing our legal experiences, we'd all become better at understanding the specific questions we should ask a lawyer, should the need arise.

Re: Ask HN: I found documents on the backseat of a taxi. Can I legally use them?

#35

Post by dmourati »

ramchip wrote: post #19
dmourati wrote: post #10

Documents left on a taxi seat can be characterized as mislaid. That is, the paper was intentionally put on the seat and forgotten. http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=117... Confidentiality is a an agreement between parties not to disclose information to a third party. You are now talking about the unintended disclosure of confidential information. Since you are not a party to the confidentiality…

> As far as insider trader, I don't suspect a random person who stumbled upon such data lawfully could be found guilty of any crime for using it. That sounds like terrible advice to me. See this for example: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/100803.asp > Oftentimes, people accused of the crime claim that they just overheard someone talking. Take for example a neighbor who overhears a conversation between a CEO…

I don't think you read that article closely enough, nor my comment for that matter.

Consider this, how would the fact that you took a random ride in the same cab as the "tipper" ever be established? In other words, what would be the basis of the insider information allegation? How would they ever know?

Re: Ask HN: I found documents on the backseat of a taxi. Can I legally use them?

#36

Post by kefka »

steholmes wrote: post #8
ck2 wrote: post #4

I have just found your netbook on the backseat of a taxi with it already logged into your bank account. So that makes it okay to transfer your life savings to my account, right?

Not the same situation at all.

No, his netbook+bank account situation does indeed show similarities to the main question.

If you read between the lines, it amounts to "What is the minimum legal standard I have to follow to make money on this questionably gotten X?"

That's a sad question to have to ask.

Re: Ask HN: I found documents on the backseat of a taxi. Can I legally use them?

#38

Post by Dylan16807 »

jacques_chester wrote: post #7

See a lawyer. Seriously. See a lawyer. People on the internet are not lawyers; if they are lawyers, their main advice is go see a lawyer . Law is a profession of tiny details with huge consequences. Those tiny details vary from place to place and from subject to subject. Even lawyers have lawyers. If I learnt one and only one important lesson from my time in law school, it's this: If you have a question of law, go se…

The answer might be "no way in hell", in which case a lawyer would be nothing more than a waste of money.

Re: Ask HN: I found documents on the backseat of a taxi. Can I legally use them?

#39

Post by CamperBob2 »

ramchip wrote: post #19
dmourati wrote: post #10

Documents left on a taxi seat can be characterized as mislaid. That is, the paper was intentionally put on the seat and forgotten. http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=117... Confidentiality is a an agreement between parties not to disclose information to a third party. You are now talking about the unintended disclosure of confidential information. Since you are not a party to the confidentiality…

> As far as insider trader, I don't suspect a random person who stumbled upon such data lawfully could be found guilty of any crime for using it. That sounds like terrible advice to me. See this for example: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/03/100803.asp > Oftentimes, people accused of the crime claim that they just overheard someone talking. Take for example a neighbor who overhears a conversation between a CEO…

the neighbor becomes an insider with a fiduciary duty

Wow, that's the stupidest thing I've read all day. Is all of investopedia this broken?

Re: Ask HN: I found documents on the backseat of a taxi. Can I legally use them?

#40

Post by Dylan16807 »

ck2 wrote: post #4

I have just found your netbook on the backseat of a taxi with it already logged into your bank account. So that makes it okay to transfer your life savings to my account, right?

No, this is about whether it's okay for you to remember how much money is in the account, and act on that in some manner in the future.

Nobody is stealing anything. They can have the pieces of paper back if they want them.

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