New York statute
N.Y. Penal Law § 156.50 — Offenses involving computers; defenses
Current through 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17)
Part of Article 156: Offenses Involving Computers; Definition of Terms, New York Penal Law.
Full text of N.Y. Penal Law § 156.50
Statutory text current through the 2026 legislative session (LBDC text via OpenLegislation as of 2026-07-17). This publication reproduces the text of the Consolidated Laws of New York as provided by the New York State Senate's Open Legislation service (Legislative Bill Drafting Commission statutory text); it is not the official statutes of the State of New York.
156.50 Offenses involving computers; defenses.
In any prosecution:
1. under section 156.05 or 156.10 of this article, it shall be a
defense that the defendant had reasonable grounds to believe that he had
authorization to use the computer;
2. under section 156.20, 156.25, 156.26 or 156.27 of this article it
shall be a defense that the defendant had reasonable grounds to believe
that he had the right to alter in any manner or destroy the computer
data or the computer program;
3. under section 156.29 or 156.30 of this article it shall be a
defense that the defendant had reasonable grounds to believe that he had
the right to copy, reproduce or duplicate in any manner the computer
data or the computer program.
Official sources
Legal terms used in this section
This reference is informational and is not legal advice.