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MacGyverMagic/Mgm stated for the record:
On 1/15/07, Bryan Derksen
<bryan.derksen(a)shaw.ca> wrote:
I don't see how. Copyright covers a specific
tangible expression, not
the underlying ideas contained within it. One can make a movie out of a
book and then have the book be in public domain while the movie remains
copyrighted, for example. I think the sort of IP protection you're
thinking of is more along the lines of trade secret or patent law, which
as far as I can tell don't apply here.
That's why I'm mentioning the instructional videos and/or manuals as the
tangible expressed bit of the magic. The written instructions to magic trick
are copyrighted - no doubt.
Mgm
And as long as we don't copy "the instructional videos and/or manuals,"
revealing the trick is no more a violation of anything than revealing
that Zeus gets the girl is a violation of anything.
Oh, by the way: Beowulf kills Grendel.
The real difficulty is supplying references. There's nothing wrong
with referring to hard-copy manuals that aren't available online,
though.