Routledge Legal Issues in Global Contexts: Perspectives on Technical Communication in an International Age (Baywood's Technical Communications)

Today, it has been said, the world is "flat," as online media allow information to move easily from point to point across the earth. International legal differences, however, are increasingly affecting the ease with which data and ideas can be shared across nations. Copyright law, for example, affects the international flow of materials by stipulating who has the right to replicate or to share certain kinds of content. Similarly, perspectives on privacy rights can differ from nation to nation and affect how personal information is shared globally. Moreover, national laws can affect the exchange of ideas by stipulating the language in which information must be presented in different geopolitical regions. Today's technical communicators need to understand how legal factors can affect communication practices if they wish to work effectively in global contexts. <br><br>This collection provides an overview of different legal aspects that technical communicators might encounter when creating materials or sharing information in international environments. Through addressing topics ranging from privacy rights and information exchange to the legalities of business practices in virtual worlds and perspectives on authorship and ownership, the contributors to this volume examine a variety of communication-based legal issues that can cause problems or miscommunication in international interactions. Reviewing such topics from different perspectives, the authors collectively provide ideas that could serve as a foundation for creating best practices on or for engaging in future research in the area of legal issues in international settings. From the Inside Flap Intended Audience: Broadly, individuals engaged in a range of technical and professional communication activities as a part of their work practices, including professionals, students, scholars, and practitioners in technical communication, professional communication, marketing communication, legal communication, human-computer interaction, and information design/architecture. More specifically, scholar-teachers who study and teach classes in technical, professional, or business communication; industry practitioners engaged in technical or professional communication activities involving communication with other cultures or design of materials for audiences of other cultures (e.g., working with translators and localizers); managers involved in international projects and international exchanges of ideas, information, and materials; information technology experts and content managers who develop, edit, or manage content for users from different nations; legal experts, lawyers, and socio-linguists who investigate the intersection of rhetorical theory, law, and technical/professional/business communication. About the Author Kirk St.Amant is a professor of technical and professional communication and of international studies at East Carolina University, USA. Martine Courant Rife is a professor of writing and coordinator of accelerated learning at Lansing Community College, USA. She also maintains an active license to practice law in Michigan, USA.