If Oracle successfully uses computer crime laws in this way, it greatly magnifies the company's advantage over competitors for support contracts. Should the law help them monopolize information that would allow competitors learn what the company already knows? There's nothing inherently wrong with a software company also making money from service contracts. Oracle does it, and so do most Linux distributors. The question, rather, is whether there's a level playing field. If the computer crime statutes don't apply, Oracle has a knowledge advantage -- but that advantage occurs naturally, and competitors can try and combat it by setting a lower price. But if computer crime statutes do apply, the legal regime puts a finger on Oracle's side of the scale. I'm not predicting whether or not Oracle will be successful, but there is precedent for this type of claim. In Konop v.