Recently I've gotten quite a few messages from people on the subject of magical copyright, and it's come to my attention that not everybody understands how magic works- even magic users!

In this world there are as many different types of magic as there are people, this is known. It would take an idiot to miss this fact. What is lesser known, however, is that there are even more ways of casting magic. Bear with me, this will be relevant.

Everyone born with innate magical power has their own optimal way of casting magic. One person may write an equation and cast the answer as a spell, while another may draw an image for a similar result. It isn't possible to imitate another person's casting technique, in the same way that it's almost impossible to copy a painter's order of brushstrokes, but it is possible to copy the process they used for casting a spell.

This makes written spells highly valuable, and means they are often the target of thieves. Magical espionage has become a very big problem in the past hundred years as a result.

Some magic users may publish their spells for the greater population to use (for example printed circuit boards, fireball, and teleportation) but for more powerful or dangerous spells it is vital that they are kept secret, for the greater good. (trust me)

So let this be a lesson for you, wizzlings. Don't try to steal spells from wizards you know are more powerful than you, lest you get turned to mush!