From: "MacGyverMagic/Mgm"
<macgyvermagic(a)gmail.com>
In a previous discussion it was determined that most magic tricks
aren't
patented (for fear of revealing the method) or copyrighted (only
the way
it's written down in a book or recorded on a DVD or video is
copyrighted).
However, isn't exposure of commercially available effects considered
[[piracy]] then?
I am not a lawyer.
If they're not protected by patents or copyrights, how could it be
"piracy?" I'd have thought that if there were no patents or
copyrights, there'd be no "intellectual property" and hence nothing
to "steal."
I don't see how it can be a trade secret, either. If the trick were
kept secret from the purchaser there'd be no value to it. I suppose
it's ''possible'' to imagine selling a piece of stage magic equipment
that could be used by a performer who did not know or understand how
it worked, but that must be rare.
Finally, if exposure of magic tricks constituted "piracy" then you'd
think this would have long since been established in court, and that
the cases involved would be well-known within magicians' circles. Are
there any such cases?