Legal Primer for the Digital Age, A
0321108736

TyAnna K. Herrington, Georgia Institute of Technology

Publisher: Longman
Copyright: 2004
Format: Paper; 160 pp

ISBN-10: 0321108736
ISBN-13:9780321108739

Our Price: £38.99
Status: Not Yet Published
Estimated Availability: 16 Apr 2004



Description

A Legal Primer for the Technical Age is an introduction to the essentials of law for technical communicators, multimedia developers, graphic designers, and other creative communicators.

This primer presents the basics of the law of agency and business organizations, contracts and intellectual property, as well as the differences between ethics and law. It will give creative communicators a general understanding of what they can expect from applied law in their workplace settings, helping them make informed choices in their professional relationships far into the future.


Table Of Contents


1. Introduction.

Discussion Questions and Exercises.



2. Law and Ethics.

Ethics Contextual Situation.

Discussion Questions.



3. Business Relationships and Organizational Structures.

Your Characterization in Business Relationships and Its Legal Effects:

Agency Relationships.

How to Create an Agency Relationship.

Agency-Principal Relationships and Mutual Duties.

Three Kinds of Principals.

Different Kinds of Agents.

Principals' and Agents' Duties and Obligations.

Differences in Legal Characterization: Independent Contractors and Employees.

Business Organizations.

Sole Proprietorship.

General Partnership.

Limited Partnership.

Getting Out of or Ending a Partnership.

Limited Liability Corporations.

Corporations.

Discussion Questions.



4. Legal Agreements: Contracts.

Contract Law.

Proposing an Agreement: Offer.

Accepting to Enter an Agreement: Acceptance.

When Acceptance of an Agreement Becomes Effective.

The Payoff: Consideration.

Meeting Your Contract Commitments and Avoiding Common Contract Problems.

When Courts Enforce Commitments Without Valid Contracts: Promissory Estoppel.

Actions that Satisfy or Break Contract Commitments.

Getting Out of Your Contract Commitments.

Miscellaneous Excuses for Breaking a Contract (Defenses to Breach of Contract).

How to Cancel a Contract.

Violating Contract Agreements.

Treating Contracts Created from Unclear Bases: Oral Contracts, Statute of Frauds, and Parole Evidence.

What Might Result from a Lawsuit on Your Contract.

Compensations to Winning Parties in Contract Suits.

Courts' Limitations on Detriments Resulting from Broken Contracts: Foreseeability, Avoidable Damages, Nominal, and Punitive Damages.

Involving Others in Your Agreements: Assignment and Delegation of Duties Generally.

Third Party Beneficiaries.

Ending Contract Responsibilities.

Accord and Satisfaction and Substituted Agreement.

Accounts Stated and Releases.

Discussion Questions.



5. Intellectual Property.

Trademarks, Reputation, and Goodwill.

Trade Secret.

Patents.

Copyright.

Copyright Control.

Legal Fiction of Employer Authorship: Work for Hire.

Shared Authorship: Joint Work.

Unauthorized Use of Copyrighted Materials: Infringement.

Substantial Similarity.

Defenses Against Infringement.

Personal Use and Fair Use.

New Developments in Intellectual Property in the Digital World.

Reproduction of Work in Digital Databases.

Deep Linking.

Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Discussion Questions.



6. Synthesis.

Supportive Diagrammatic Schema.

Case Context (Synthetic Situation).

Case Situation Analysis.

Discussion Questions and Exercises.



7. Conclusion.

The Complexity of Law and Ethics Applied.

Case Situation.

Case Context Questions.


Features
  • Legal benefits and detriments of general and limited partnerships, limited liability corporations, and corporations are outlined to help creative communicators better evaluate their business relationships.
  • Examines different legal characterizations of creative communicators—agent, principal, employee, independent contractor-and the potential legal effects each role has on intellectual products.
  • The importance of intellectual property law is discussed with respect to both printed and digital creative products. The effects of the new Digital Millennium Copyright Act are also explained.
  • A chapter on legal agreements provides practical knowledge about contracts and binding agreements.
  • Detailed analyses of synthetic legal situations allow students to see examples of how to apply law in various contexts.
  • A concluding chapter presents a case to be used as a basis for testing information taught in the preceding chapters.

Appropriate Courses
Technical Communication - Advanced, Business Writing, and Legal Writing.

Instructor Supplements
Instructor's Manual
Herrington
© 2004 | Longman | Paper | Available
ISBN-10: 0321244087 | ISBN-13: 9780321244086

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