Florida Statutes

Fla. Stat. § 815.04 (2025)

Offenses against intellectual property.

✓ 2025 Florida Statutes — current through the 2025 Regular Session

Find cases: SyfertCases citing this section FL-LEGleg.state.fl.us JustiaFla. Statutes CornellLII Search CasesGoogle Scholar

815.04 Offenses against intellectual property.—

(1) A person who willfully, knowingly, and without authorization introduces a computer contaminant or modifies or renders unavailable data, programs, or supporting documentation residing or existing internal or external to a computer, computer system, computer network, or electronic device commits an offense against intellectual property.

(2) A person who willfully, knowingly, and without authorization destroys data, programs, or supporting documentation residing or existing internal or external to a computer, computer system, computer network, or electronic device commits an offense against intellectual property.

(3) A person who willfully, knowingly, and without authorization discloses or takes data, programs, or supporting documentation that is a trade secret as defined in s. 812.081 or is confidential as provided by law residing or existing internal or external to a computer, computer system, computer network, or electronic device commits an offense against intellectual property.

(4)(a) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, an offense against intellectual property is a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

(b) If the offense is committed for the purpose of devising or executing any scheme or artifice to defraud or to obtain any property, the person commits a felony of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.

History.—s. 1, ch. 78-92; s. 1, ch. 94-100; s. 431, ch. 96-406; s. 1, ch. 2014-177; s. 4, ch. 2014-208; s. 5, ch. 2016-5; s. 20, ch. 2016-6; s. 31, ch. 2022-5.

Arrestable Offenses under F.S. 815.04

M = misdemeanor · F = felony · degree: F=1st S=2nd T=3rd

§815.04(1)PROPERTY CRIMESTAMPER COMPUTER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTYF · 3rd

§815.04(1)FRAUDRENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9698F · 3rd

§815.04(2)PROPERTY CRIMESDESTROY COMPUTER INTELLECTUAL PROPERTYF · 3rd

§815.04(2)FRAUDRENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9699F · 3rd

§815.04(3)LARCREPEALED 2022-5F · 3rd

§815.04(3)LARCVIOLATE TRADE SECRET OR CONFIDENTIAL INFOF · 3rd

§815.04(3)EMBEZZLERENUMBERED. SEE REC # 7723F · 3rd

§815.04(4)EMBEZZLERENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9776F · 3rd

§815.04(4b)FRAUD-SWINDLERENUMBERED. SEE REC #10610F · 2nd

§815.04(4b)FRAUD AND ABUSE -- COMPUTERCOMPUTER CRIME WITH INTENT TO DEFRAUDF · 2nd

§815.04(4b)FRAUD-SWINDLERENUMBERED. SEE REC # 7724F · 2nd

§815.04(5b)FRAUD-SWINDLERENUMBERED. SEE REC # 9700F · 2nd

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 5 cases, 1994–2012 · leading case: Sepro Corp. v. Florida Dep't of Env't Prot., 839 So. 2d 781 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003).

Sort: Relevance Newest Treatment

Sepro Corp. v. Florida Dep't of Env't Prot., 839 So. 2d 781 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003). · cites it 5× “07(1) pursuant to the exemptions in §§ 815.04(3) and 815.045, Florida Statutes.”

Newberger v. State, 641 So. 2d 419 (Fla. 2d DCA 1994). · cites it 10× “§ 815.04, Fla. Stat. (1991) After a bench trial, the court adjudicated him guilty of the charges based on violation of this statute.”

Garcia v. State, 939 So. 2d 1082 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006). · cites it 7× “25, Florida Statutes (2000), and unlawful modification of computer data in violation of subsection 815.04(1), Florida Statutes (2000).”

State v. Fagg, 41 So. 3d 394 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010). · cites it 3× “The State argues that Ap-pellee’s alleged act of deleting computer files from her former employer’s computer system constituted the destruction of data pursuant to section 815.04(2), Florida Statutes, which provides that “[wjhoever willfully, knowingly, and without authorization…”

Willoughby v. State, 84 So. 3d 1210 (Fla. 3d DCA 2012). · cites it 2× “Count two charges a violation of section 815.04(3)(b) of the Florida Statutes which states, “Whoever willfully, knowingly, and without authorization discloses or takes data, programs, or supporting documentation which is a trade secret .”

— 815.04(1) — 1 case

Garcia v. State, 939 So. 2d 1082 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006). “25, Florida Statutes (2000), and unlawful modification of computer data in violation of subsection 815.04(1), Florida Statutes (2000).”

— 815.04(2) — 1 case

State v. Fagg, 41 So. 3d 394 (Fla. 1st DCA 2010). “The State argues that Ap-pellee’s alleged act of deleting computer files from her former employer’s computer system constituted the destruction of data pursuant to section 815.04(2), Florida Statutes, which provides that “[wjhoever willfully, knowingly, and without authorization…”

— 815.04(3) — 1 case

Sepro Corp. v. Florida Dep't of Env't Prot., 839 So. 2d 781 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003). “07(1) pursuant to the exemptions in §§ 815.04(3) and 815.045, Florida Statutes.”

— 815.04(3)(a) — 1 case

Sepro Corp. v. Florida Dep't of Env't Prot., 839 So. 2d 781 (Fla. 1st DCA 2003). “07(1) pursuant to the exemptions in §§ 815.04(3) and 815.045, Florida Statutes.”

— 815.04(3)(b) — 1 case

Willoughby v. State, 84 So. 3d 1210 (Fla. 3d DCA 2012). “Count two charges a violation of section 815.04(3)(b) of the Florida Statutes which states, “Whoever willfully, knowingly, and without authorization discloses or takes data, programs, or supporting documentation which is a trade secret .”

— 815.04(4)(b) — 1 case

Garcia v. State, 939 So. 2d 1082 (Fla. 3d DCA 2006). “25, Florida Statutes (2000), and unlawful modification of computer data in violation of subsection 815.04(1), Florida Statutes (2000).”

Annotations are extracted automatically from the opinions in the Syfert caselaw corpus and ranked by authority, recency, and treatment. Dots show Syfertize treatment of the citing case itself.