The Court characterized INS's behavior as "misappropriation."See INS v. AP, 248 U.S. at 240, 242. Due to the tenuous value of "hot" news, Pitney narrowed the period for which the proprietary right would apply: copying was forbidden "only to the extent necessary to prevent that competitor from reaping the fruits of complainant's efforts and expenditure."See INS v. AP, 248 U.S. at 241.
