Originally Posted by amarain
That's true. If you see something lying on the street and you take it, you didn't have right or permission to take it, but was it stealing?
Depends on the "something". Is it a person's wallet, with ID and contact information? No, you don't have the right to take/keep it. There is a reasonable expectation that you realize it belongs to someone else.
Is it unidentifiable material with no reasonable expectation of belonging to someone else? Yes, you can. I have no problem with you picking up an empty beer can in the street and keeping it, if you really want to.
Ianal, but I believe "reasonable expectation" is a valid legal principle. At least according to the number of Google hits.