On Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:28:46 -0400, "Flying Pig"
wrote:

I'm neither a lawyer, nor do I even play one on TV, but that's my take on
the realities of open WiFi signal use and propagation. Are there any lawyers
looking on who can clarify or otherwise contradict my interpretation??

===

It's clearly a case of where the letter of the law contradicts the
reality of the law, sort of like driving a few miles per hour over the
speed limit.

It's very easy to connect to the wrong access point accidently if the
AP uses a default SYSID and is unencrypted. It would be extremely
difficult to prove intent in a case like that. There are also gray
areas such as connecting to an encrypted AP which freely gives out
logon passwords to patrons. What if you are now outside the
establishment? Are you still a patron?

Some rocks are better left unturned.

If you are really paranoid you can always spoof the MAC address of
your PC or router but that might also establish intent if caught. It
would certainly muddy the evidence trail however.