Spellbook piracy: is it theft?

[Mercule]

Also, what are Sorcerers if spell copyright exists? Walking copyright violations when they realize they can shoot Magic Missile from their fingertips one day? What happens when they learn to write scrolls and start to create Magic Missile scrolls but aren't a part of the Wizardly community with regards to research and attribution?

Dirty, freakin' hippies, man. "The information wants to be free. It talks to me."

 

[Mercule]

Actually, though, that makes me think of something that I'd been considering in regards to a story once. That being, that many spells cast by wizards come with their own "signatures"- sort of like the code that programmers occasionally put into work they've done. It's nothing that affects the functioning of the program, but it's their own signature saying "This was done by me". In the case of a spell, it wouldn't be anything that would affect the spell, or necessarily even in the casting (like a different somatic or verbal component or anything), but something that could be detected by a close analysis of the spell using any of your general detection abilities. Sort of like an arcane mark built into the functioning of a spell.

So, arcane watermarking, then? At least that's better than ARM (Arcane Rights Management).

 

[Tinner]

There's a fun solution to this in the first edition X-Crawl game.
That book has some spells that have a material components of a crisp $20 bill with the spell caster's name written on it.
When the material component is used up, it actually is transmitted to the designer of the spell.
The spell's creator automatically gets his licensing fee.

 

[Nifft]

better than ARM (Arcane Rights Management).

"Why do all you Wizards have imp familiars now?"
"Thanks to the new copyright laws, most of my spells can only be accessed through Diabolic Rights Management."

Erp, -- N

PS: Sounds like a slightly less dark version of Midnight.

 

[Kid Charlemagne]

I may have to steal this idea for a futue game - imagine consortiums of wizards coming together to research spells that they can then claim ownership of and charge for the use thereof.... A wizard casts a magic missile and it comes in corporate colors... That's an idea that would absolutely drive some of my players crazy - in a good way.

 

[Pbartender]

I may have to steal this idea for a futue game - imagine consortiums of wizards coming together to research spells that they can then claim ownership of and charge for the use thereof.... A wizard casts a magic missile and it comes in corporate colors...

Not only that, but they could charge extra for more impressive special effects... or metamagic effects.

 

[joshuakanton]

What about attaching a “Spell Virus”. The virus would follow that particular spell whenever it is copied or used to create an item. The virus could stop unauthorized use of the spell by either causing the spell to fizzle or erasing it.

Of course the “Spell Virus” could be modified to attach itself to any other spells that it comes into contact with thus infecting them also.....

 

[papastebu]

Of course, my point is that this brings the conversation off-topic with an irrelevant point, and here I am bringing it off-topic So that's my last comment on the topic.

-10 to your off-topic debate for debating with your off-topic while debating with your on-topic at the same time, which debate also takes a penalty, though only a -6. Unless, of course, you have taken the "Dual-Attentiveness" feat at 1st level, which mitigates all off-topic penalties, reducing them to -6 each.

 

[Cthulhudrew]

Dirty, freakin' hippies, man. "The information wants to be free. It talks to me."

Sorcerers- the arcane Open Source Casters.

 

[Mercule]

What about attaching a “Spell Virus”. The virus would follow that particular spell whenever it is copied or used to create an item. The virus could stop unauthorized use of the spell by either causing the spell to fizzle or erasing it.

Of course the “Spell Virus” could be modified to attach itself to any other spells that it comes into contact with thus infecting them also.....

Isn't that a "root kit"? No doubt a product of the Spell Industry Association of Zilargo (SIAZ).

Wizards have to take the reserve feat "SIAZ Spell". This would allow the wizard to cast any spell with the "[ARM-enabled]" descriptor, but to do so, he needs to have a spell of the same level with the "[ARM]" descriptor available.

For the most part, spells with the "[ARM]" descriptor are spells that can be cast on a spell book and will add the "[ARM-enabled]" descriptor to all spells of equal or lower level contained in the book.

Of course, this is the only way that those spells could be brought to the marketplace, anyway.

Edit: I can't believe I actually thought enough to come up with that.