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