Denmark is a small country with a remarkably homogenous and cohesive –if perhaps at times a little conformist– society with a long and uninterrupted state tradition, remarkably stable institutional structure and extreme levels of public trust in these institutions. Even if the dominant narrative of social homogeneity is of relatively recent pedigree –until its crushing defeat to Prussia in 1864, Denmark was a multi-lingual empire with quite hostile inter-communal relations– the much-reduced size and geopolitical ambition of the state thereafter brought about a fairly unique form of consensual democracy (det samarbejdende folkestyre) with an unusual and enduring alliance between social-democracy and rural peasants and small-holders. This panel presentation will show how the ensuing particular political and legal culture that developed against this background continues to strongly affect the manner Danish state and society deal with regulatory questions, including the penal protection against industrial espionage. Unlike many other nations, Danes view their state as a friend and, consequently, accept and cooperate with a kind of intrusive state action that elsewhere would be viewed with suspicion, if not prove outright intolerable.