Intellectual property, which includes copyright, is an important legal concept for educators and other education professionals to understand. Intellectual property laws are designed to encourage the creation of original works, to stimulate creativity in society in general, and to protect and promote the creation and use of products of the human mind. When a teacher uses one of these products, for example, by copying and distributing an excerpt from a novel to his or her students, or when an administrator creates a policy manual, the concept of intellectual property comes into play. To lay the groundwork for understanding, this article introduces the basic concepts of copyright law.