From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxa!mhuxh!mhuxm!pyuxjj!pyuxcc!djj
Newsgroups: net.followup
Title: Re: Computer Crime Article in August Smithsonian
Article-I.D.: pyuxcc.330
Posted: Fri Jul 30 12:16:28 1982
Received: Sat Jul 31 03:04:13 1982

Let's all think of the "Fantastic Four" -- -- --

                          FLAME ON

     "Companies should be responsible for gathering the evidence of offenses
      against them themselves, and the public agancies [sic] only take
      over when presented with already-collected evidence of the
      violation of criminal law."

Be serious!!!!!!!!!  Are you suggesting that the entire criminal justice
system should be a prosecute and sentence establishment.  Investigative
procedures are the backbone of modern criminal justice.  The ability to
conduct an allegedly "unbiased" investigation into the facts ("Just the
facts, ma'am" - Dragnet) is vital to the administration of justice.

However, just for kicks, let's assume the above quoted hypothesis for
a short while.  XYZ Company (a small manufacturing firm) discovers a
way to make widgets at a dramatically low cost.  Their factory is in the
garage of one of the ten people employed by XYZ.  They encourage moderate
growth of the market and are making some bucks.  Then, gigantic ABC Corp.
floods the market with cheap widgets that are made by the same process
as those by the XYZ Company.  

What are the chances that XYZ Company will have the resources and manpower
to invetigate and prove corporate theft by the ABC Corp?  Further, the
much larger resource base of ABC will work to undermine any efforts made
by XYZ to investigate this incident.  Big business will triumph to the
detriment of the small businesses.  Assuming the previously stated
scenario, only the giants of industry will be able to afford justice.

This is hardly justice as I know it.

                           FLAME OFF

Dave Johnson
BTL - Piscataway