Question

1. A communications specialist has been hired on a limited term contract to create, with the help of another writer, the user and administrator guides for a software tool. Who is the “author” of the guides? Who owns the finished product? Explains your responses.

2. A technical writer is helping to design a task-oriented help system. She has been asked by the company’s Research and Development Division to model the system based on other similar systems found on the Internet. Can this writer re-use an existing approach to help design as a basis for writing the help system? Explain your responses.

Answer 1

1. A communication specialist creates and maintains positive relationship between clients and the general public. The author of the guides will mainly be the writer but it will be mentioned that the guides were written with the help of the communication specialist. The company needs a reliable person who can account for the writing material, and as the communication specialist was hired for a short term and he is not a writer by profession. The company would mention another writers name as the author.

2. A technical writer is creating a task oriented system, the person will refer to the systems found on the Internet as the basis of the systems outline and won't be able to re-use the existing approach, he will use the format, but not the complete help guidelines as he is paid for his input and for not just merely copying from the Internet. He will have to modify according to the specific tasks which are there for this system.