In SW Universe, is the Owner responsible for the actions of their droid?

Question

A couple of friends and I are about to embark on a Star Wars Roleplaying Game Campaign, in which one of the players is playing a Droid owned by one of the other players.

This got us to thinking regarding legal responsibility for droids in the Star Wars Universe, as a whole.

If a Droid kills a sentient being, is the Droid or the Owner held legally accountable for the murder? If the owner explicitly ordered the droid to commit the murder for one, but also if the droid acted on it's own, as it were?

In short, is the owner of a Droid held accountable for the actions of their droids?

To my recollection, there is no real answer available in Canon, so answers based on Legends are also highly welcome, as are answers based on sound reasoning and extrapolation.

Clarification based on comments: I am not asking for an answer relating to how we should handle it within the RPG setting. The question relate to Owner responsibility of Droids in the Star Wars Universe, as a whole, not as a game mechanic within a RPG setting. Answers based on information from RPG books are of course welcome, especially if they're licensed, but I do not ask for a RPG answer, but a Universe answer.

Answer 1

The West End Games officially licensed RPG "Cynabar's Fantastic Technology : Droids" (A sourcebook for Star Wars : The Roleplaying Game) contained an extensive description of the relevant rights and responsibilities of droid owners.

In short, the droid is considered a tool. If you intentionally break its programming in order to commit a serious crime, you're considered to have committed that crime personally (and forfeit the life of the robot). If the crime occurs because of poor maintenance, you're considered to have committed a crime of negligence and are charged accordingly (and forfeit the life of the robot).

While most mechanicals are content to go about their daily tasks without complaint--at least without serious complaint--there have been a number of instances when a droid has gone beyond its programming and committed acts that are illegal. These events have occurred often enough throughout history to prompt many governments (including the Old Republic) to compose a set of governing laws regarding droid ownership and the responsibilities therein. These laws were originally placed into effect primarily as a safeguard against rogue droids and the organic beings who owned them (notably crime lords and pirates). If a droid committed an illegal act by way of a command from its master, the owner would simply be brought to trial as if he performed the act himself. Early laws in many systems stated that the droid was simply a tool with which the criminal act was performed.

Correspondingly, if a droid committed a minor crime of its own volition (such as illegally parking or maneuvering a conveyance, petty theft or other such misdemeanor), the owner would be ticketed and fined. The courts would admonish the owner to repair whatever malfunction the droid had, and that would typically be the end of the matter. In extreme cases ( destruction of private property, assault, or capital crimes), the droid would be confiscated and destroyed.

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Punishment for a Class One infraction by COMPNOR standards requires the droid's owner to be sentenced to imprisonment from five years to life, and also mandates the droid's destruction.

Class One infractions include, but are not limited to, the following crimes:

• Conspiring to overthrow the Empire.
• Voluntary manslaughter.
• Programming or actions with intent on harming Imperial personnel.
• Programming a droid to engage in espionage activities against the Empire or its citizens.