California laws are very specific about how lost or stolen property should be handled — and purchasing it for journalistic use is not among the sanctioned options. So commentators are questioning whether tech blog Gizmodo crossed a line when it bought an iPhone prototype reportedly left behind in a Silicon Valley bar by an Apple engineer and published a series of articles about it. Thus far, Gawker Media — parent company of Gizmodo — has denied any wrongdoing, but will it face legal trouble for purchasing the misplaced gadget?
Gizmodo broke the law: "Put simply," says Jeff Bercovici in Daily Finance, "Gawker Media brazenly, publicly flouted the law." It "subsidize[d] a crime" by purchasing the "technically stolen" merchandise — presumably from the unnamed party who found it in the bar. If Steve Jobs sues, "he will have justice on his side."
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