Legal Definitions - free rider

A free rider refers to an individual, group, or entity that benefits from a resource, service, or collective effort without contributing their fair share to its cost, maintenance, or creation. They enjoy the advantages provided by others' contributions without bearing the associated burden.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of a free rider:

• Neighborhood Security Program: Imagine a residential community where residents decide to pool resources to hire private security patrols to deter crime. They ask each household to contribute a voluntary monthly fee to cover the costs. A household that consistently refuses to pay the fee, yet still benefits from the reduced crime rate and increased sense of safety provided by the patrols, is acting as a free rider.

  This illustrates a free rider because the household enjoys the security benefits funded by their neighbors' contributions without sharing in the financial responsibility.

• Collaborative Research Project: Consider a university research team working on a complex scientific problem. Each member is expected to contribute data analysis, experimental design, and writing for the final publication. One team member consistently attends meetings, receives updates on progress, and is listed as an author on the resulting academic paper, but rarely performs their assigned tasks or contributes significant intellectual effort.

  This individual is a free rider because they gain the professional credit and benefits of the published research, which is largely the product of their colleagues' hard work, without making an equitable contribution to the project.

• Public Broadcasting Support: Many public radio and television stations rely on donations from their viewers and listeners to fund their programming. A person who regularly consumes the news, educational content, and entertainment provided by these stations, but never contributes financially during pledge drives or through other means, could be considered a free rider.

  They are a free rider because they enjoy the programming, which is a direct result of the financial support from other members of the audience, without contributing to the costs of its production and distribution.