This document provides an overview of copyright and how it relates to researching and teaching. It discusses who owns copyrighted work, how to protect one's own work, and how to manage copyrighted materials. The key points are: copyright protects creative works from the moment of creation; using creative commons is an easy way to protect one's own work while allowing sharing; and when using outside information or open access materials, proper attribution is important. The purpose of copyright is to encourage knowledge sharing while respecting ownership rights.