Traiken wrote:
...most of us figure those R4 units were 'property of the state.'
And even if we don't get that specific, there is no place in AOTC where Obi-Wan says "I OWN YOU, R4!"
R4 is just a droid. He's on the ship Obi-Wan is flying. That doesn't mean he owns him, any more than Anakin "owns" R2 just because he's modified him or whatever. Droids are just droids, not real estate.