Print Reference Books

Gader-Shafran, Rachel. Intellectual Property Law Dictionary. New York: Law Journal P, 2004.

This is a very good resource for for any term used within the intellectual property field. Within this field, there are a great deal of terms that the average person would not understand. The IP lawyers have a language and lingo different from that of most people. Terms such as exclusionary rights will need to be broken down in a more base language for the average reader will have an understanding for what is taking place within this field. It is also important for the journalist to have a great understanding for the work so I feel like this is a great source to use when dealing with unknown terms.

Elias, Stephen. Nolo's Intellectual Property Law Dictionary (Patent, Copyright & Trademark: A Desk Reference to Intellectual Property Law). 1st ed. Berkeley, CA: NOLO, 1985.

This is another dictionary that gives the journalist a great background on the unknown terms and terms that are too complicated to understand. I feel that these are the most important sources because it is of the utmost importance to be able to understand the language of the field if you are writing articles for it. Whether it be this source or the source above this, it is key to be able to use one of these references when reporting this beat. Intellectual property law is not the simplest form of law and it is important to understand the language and then be able to translate that to the public.