Also known as: unauthorised use · unauthorized uses · unauthorised uses · unlawful use
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
Use of property, materials, identity, or information without permission from the owner or legal authority.
Ugo Uberti bought a set of lock-picking tools engineered solely to open high-security bank vaults and stored them in his garage near a targeted branch. Police discovered the tools during a search and charged him with attempt. The possession supplied the required substantial step because the tools were specially designed for unlawful entry and served no lawful purpose for Uberti.
Umar Underwood discovered that a local advertiser had published his childhood photographs and life story in a promotional campaign for a new product line without his consent. The campaign increased sales for the advertiser. Underwood sued for misappropriation, claiming the unauthorized commercial use of his identity unjustly enriched the defendant.
Select any source to read its text and confirm it supports the definition.
Usman Uddin, a warehouse employee, sold several pallets of customer goods to a third party instead of returning them to the owner as required by his custody agreement. The owner sued for conversion. The sale constituted knowing conversion because Uddin exercised dominion over the property in a manner exceeding the limited authority granted to him.
Uliana Ustinova sold large quantities of sugar and yeast to operators she knew were running an illegal distillery. Prosecutors charged her with conspiracy. The sales supported liability because she knowingly furnished materials essential to the ongoing criminal operation even though she never entered the distillery herself.
Ursula Upton, a public official, diverted government funds to a private account for personal use under the guise of official business. The government charged mail fraud. The diversion amounted to unauthorized use of public property that deprived the government of its property interest in the funds.
Umar Usmani used a stolen Social Security number belonging to another person to open bank accounts and obtain credit. Federal prosecutors charged aggravated identity theft. The knowing use of the number without authorization satisfied the element requiring that the defendant knew the means of identification belonged to an actual person.
Unauthorized use arises when a party exceeds the scope of a limited permission, such as a license, rather than entering land without any permission at all.
Yes. Possession of materials specially designed for unlawful use or that serve no lawful purpose under the circumstances constitutes a substantial step toward commission of the crime.
Yes. An individual holds a property right in the commercial use of their identity, and exploitation of that identity for the defendant's benefit without consent supports a claim even absent defamation.
Conversion includes misuse or abuse of property placed in one's custody for limited use, such as commingling funds or disposing of goods beyond the scope of authority granted.
A license may be assigned without formalities unless the license is personal or restricted, so the assignee's continued use after a business sale is authorized rather than unauthorized.
…own, if he was under a duty to keep it separate and intact. It is not difficult to think of intentional and knowing abuses and unauthorized uses of government property, that might be knowing conversions but which could not be reached as embezzlement, stealing or purloining. Knowing conversion adds significantly to the range of…