What would your Rabbi say if you asked him if it was permissible to use information from a competitor that came into your hands either through his carelessness or by chance? You know what he would say.
You’re probably right about that, too. I just know, that, as someone pointed out, coaches in all sports try to steal signs. I didn’t know if its all illegal, or kind of like part of the game: just the same way pitchers and catchers are trying to deceive the batter about what the next pitch will be and the quarterback tries to fool the other team about the play, that maybe it was part of the competitive battle of strategy to defeat those signals. If not, then your analogy is very effective. Could it be that there are legal ways of counterspying and the use of film is illegal because it gives too much of a capability?
You mean like game tapes?