Interstate Transport of Stolen Property Law and Legal Definition
Interstate transport of stolen property occurs when a person transports, or transfers in interstate or foreign commerce any goods, wares, merchandise, securities or money knowing them to be stolen, converted or taken by fraud. In such cases, the value of the property should be $5,000 or more.
Earlier in the U.S., persons who violated the copyright statute was charged with violation of the interstate transportation of stolen property statute. This was based on the theory that the intangible copyright interests which were being violated constituted "goods, wares [or] merchandise" which were "stolen, converted or taken by fraud." The Supreme Court rejected this theory in Dowling v. United States, 473 U.S. 207 (1985) and held that it was not Congress' intention that 18 U.S.C § 2314 function as a criminalization of copyright infringement. However, in cases where the underlying copyrighted work is actually "stolen, converted or taken by fraud," § 2314 may still apply.
