ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that for technical communicators working in cyberspace, rhetoric has new relevance because of its ability to assist strategic thinking; and that a basic awareness of international intellectual property law is crucial to the success of the field of technical communication. It provides a broad overview of some key issues that arise at the intersection of international law and writing in cyberspace, under a rhetorical lens. The chapter discusses international law in a rhetorical framework informed by Kenneth Burke’s concepts of identification and division. Cyberspace provides a space for identification and commonality. The division created by geographical indicators, as difference-proscribed-by-law, compensates. Texts circulating globally in cyberspace have made intellectual property ownership issues more salient than ever. The chapter concludes by arguing that increased knowledge of these issues will benefit the field of technical communication by enabling technical communicators to add value to their organizations via strategic thinking.
