What a Tech Writer Should Know about Copyright Law

About the program
A writer, like any specialist, is hired for his or her expertise. In a business environment, a writer’s expertise should include some knowledge of copyright law, to help the client or employer avoid legal troubles related to use of intellectual property. You can’t count on software developers, business managers, or others in your organization to understand the limitations that copyright law puts on how intellectual property can be used.
Joe Devney will share the basics of copyright law in the United States, presented from the technical writer’s perspective. This will include what can and can’t be copyrighted, what uses of intellectual property are or are not permitted, and how to identify and remedy copyright infringement in company documents. He will also share real-life examples from his own experience as a technical writer.
The talk will include discussion about how the introduction of generative AI tools like ChatGPT has made the situation more complicated.
This presentation is designed primarily for technical writers, but anyone who has to write or edit business documents—especially for a company whose main business is not pubishing—can learn useful information.

About the speaker
Joe Devney, M.A. has been a technical writer and editor since the mid-1990s. He has several times kept a client or employer from violating the law by identifying and notifying management about copyright infringement. He has formal education in issues related to language and law.
Joe is a past president of the STC Berkeley chapter (now incorporated into the San Francisco Bay chapter), and has delivered several presentations to that chapter and others. He has also given presentations related to language and law at conferences in several countries—most recently in the Philippines, where he talked about how to make contract language easier to understand. In 2014, Joe was awarded the title of Fellow of the Society for Technical Communication, the Society’s highest honorary rank, for his contributions to the Society and to the field.