{"id":{"repo_id":"umn","oai_identifier":"oai:conservancy.umn.edu:11299/159480"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/umn/oai:conservancy.umn.edu:11299/159480","repository":{"repo_id":"umn","name":"University of Minnesota","base_url":"https://conservancy.umn.edu/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The rhetoric of the patent wars: how technology becomes \"Common Sense\"","abstract":"This dissertation sheds light on questions involving innovation and technology. To answer these questions, I investigate one battle in the so-called \"Patent Wars\" surrounding mobile computing. I combine classical and modern rhetorical notions of common sense and community with perspectives on society and technology offered by philosophers Charles Taylor and Andrew Feenberg. I apply this theoretical lens to three sets of texts: 1) public rhetoric surrounding Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility--these texts come in the form of press releases, blog posts, and tweets; 2) public rhetoric involving a patent dispute between Microsoft and Motorola Mobility involving the former's accusation that the latter is not honoring its patent licensing commitments--these texts are drawn from press releases and blog postings; and 3) legal rhetoric found in four legal briefs filed by Microsoft and Motorola Mobility following the testimony phase of a patent trial. I find that the rhetoric used in these texts concentrates on technology as an ends, rather than allowing for a critical evaluation of these technologies as embedded in a broader cultural landscape. I offer a rhetorical approach that helps uncover and demystify the values that are embedded in mobile computing technologies.","abstract_html":"This dissertation sheds light on questions involving innovation and technology. To answer these questions, I investigate one battle in the so-called "Patent Wars" surrounding mobile computing. I combine classical and modern rhetorical notions of common sense and community with perspectives on society and technology offered by philosophers Charles Taylor and Andrew Feenberg. I apply this theoretical lens to three sets of texts: 1) public rhetoric surrounding Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility--these texts come in the form of press releases, blog posts, and tweets; 2) public rhetoric involving a patent dispute between Microsoft and Motorola Mobility involving the former's accusation that the latter is not honoring its patent licensing commitments--these texts are drawn from press releases and blog postings; and 3) legal rhetoric found in four legal briefs filed by Microsoft and Motorola Mobility following the testimony phase of a patent trial. I find that the rhetoric used in these texts concentrates on technology as an ends, rather than allowing for a critical evaluation of these technologies as embedded in a broader cultural landscape. I offer a rhetorical approach that helps uncover and demystify the values that are embedded in mobile computing technologies.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Welsh, Joshua Carroll"],"institution":null,"degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-07","date_published":"2013-07","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:20:07Z","subjects":["Endoxa","Patents","Patent wars","Technology"],"languages":["en_US"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://purl.umn.edu/159480","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Welsh, Joshua Carroll"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2013-10-31T21:41:59Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2013-10-31T21:41:59Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2013-07"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis or Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Endoxa","Patents","Patent wars","Technology"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en_US"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://purl.umn.edu/159480"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. July 2013. Major: Rhetoric and Scientific and Technical Communication. Advisor: Mary Lay Schuster. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 333 pages, appendices A-W."]},{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This dissertation sheds light on questions involving innovation and technology. To answer these questions, I investigate one battle in the so-called \"Patent Wars\" surrounding mobile computing. I combine classical and modern rhetorical notions of common sense and community with perspectives on society and technology offered by philosophers Charles Taylor and Andrew Feenberg. I apply this theoretical lens to three sets of texts: 1) public rhetoric surrounding Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility--these texts come in the form of press releases, blog posts, and tweets; 2) public rhetoric involving a patent dispute between Microsoft and Motorola Mobility involving the former's accusation that the latter is not honoring its patent licensing commitments--these texts are drawn from press releases and blog postings; and 3) legal rhetoric found in four legal briefs filed by Microsoft and Motorola Mobility following the testimony phase of a patent trial. I find that the rhetoric used in these texts concentrates on technology as an ends, rather than allowing for a critical evaluation of these technologies as embedded in a broader cultural landscape. I offer a rhetorical approach that helps uncover and demystify the values that are embedded in mobile computing technologies."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The rhetoric of the patent wars: how technology becomes \"Common Sense\""]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Welsh, Joshua Carroll"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2013-10-31T21:41:59Z"],"dc:date.available":["2013-10-31T21:41:59Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2013-07"],"dc:description":["University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. July 2013. Major: Rhetoric and Scientific and Technical Communication. Advisor: Mary Lay Schuster. 1 computer file (PDF); viii, 333 pages, appendices A-W."],"dc:description.abstract":["This dissertation sheds light on questions involving innovation and technology. To answer these questions, I investigate one battle in the so-called \"Patent Wars\" surrounding mobile computing. I combine classical and modern rhetorical notions of common sense and community with perspectives on society and technology offered by philosophers Charles Taylor and Andrew Feenberg. I apply this theoretical lens to three sets of texts: 1) public rhetoric surrounding Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility--these texts come in the form of press releases, blog posts, and tweets; 2) public rhetoric involving a patent dispute between Microsoft and Motorola Mobility involving the former's accusation that the latter is not honoring its patent licensing commitments--these texts are drawn from press releases and blog postings; and 3) legal rhetoric found in four legal briefs filed by Microsoft and Motorola Mobility following the testimony phase of a patent trial. I find that the rhetoric used in these texts concentrates on technology as an ends, rather than allowing for a critical evaluation of these technologies as embedded in a broader cultural landscape. I offer a rhetorical approach that helps uncover and demystify the values that are embedded in mobile computing technologies."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://purl.umn.edu/159480"],"dc:language.iso":["en_US"],"dc:subject":["Endoxa","Patents","Patent wars","Technology"],"dc:title":["The rhetoric of the patent wars: how technology becomes \"Common Sense\""],"dc:type":["Thesis or Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:20:07Z"}