What I Didn't Know Yesterday #10: Know the system (before you break it)

Today I learned that some people are either completely ignorant of or have a blatant disregard for intellectual property rights. Well, maybe that's a little extreme -- chances are the person who has inspired this post doesn't understand what constitutes "educational use" under the law. But all you have to do is Google it to find out and educate yourself! And while I believe that the law can, at times, put up unnecessary barriers to using materials to support education & training (including in the developing world where access to good, up-to-date information can be a serious challenge), I think it's still important to understand and respect the systems we have in place. And, of course, knowing the system well also means knowing the ways to work within it to accomplish your goals! ;)