Ex-Goldman Programmer Gets One Count Tossed in Case Over Software Theft
Patricia Hurtado and Bob Van Voris report:
Former Goldman Sachs Group Inc. computer programmer Sergey Aleynikov, accused of stealing trading software from the bank, won dismissal of a count of unauthorized computer access, one of three charges he faces….. [U.S. District Judge Denise] Cote said that because Aleynikov was authorized to work on Goldman’s software when he is alleged to have stolen a copy, he can’t be charged with unauthorized access.
If you’re wondering, as I was, whether a charge of exceeding authorized access might have found traction, the answer is apparently not — or at least as far as this judge is concerned:
“Unless an individual lacks authorization to access a computer system, or exceeds the authorization that has been granted, there can’t be a violation” of the law, Cote said.
Read more on Bloomberg.
