I have a new lap top but cannot sync my ipod, how do I take it off my old computer

"do I have to do anything on my old computer for this to work?"

No.

Plug it in and sync it.

What is the issue?

Make sure you copy everything from your old computer to your new one first

iTunes: How to move [or copy] your music to a new computer [or another drive] - http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4527

Quick answer if you use iTunes' default preferences settings: Copy the entire iTunes folder (and in doing so all its subfolders and files) intact to the other drive. Open iTunes and immediately hold down the Option (alt) key (shift on Windows), then guide it to the new location of the library.

Windows users see tip at: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4095896?answerId=18879381022#18879381022