Is it a felony/crime to reveal how magic tricks are done?

[TornadoTonion]

#1: If they are someone else's magic tricks/other tricks?

#2: If they are self invented?

#3: How can people find out what tricks are copy/other righted and which tricks are not?


Thank you I am new here.

[professor808]

magic tricks can not be copyrighted. There for it is not illege in any way to teach magic that you did not create. As long as you make your own video or teach them in person on write in your own words it is legal.

There is a big debate over this right now with a man called Laurence Miller.

He created a dvd called Bicycle Man which is comprised of tricks he was taught by magicians and things he learned from dvds. The creators did not give him any permission and in some cases they have not even released there work yet but only showed it to him because he was an aspiring magician egar to learn.

Right now Dan and Dave are trying to stop dealers from selling these dvds on there sites and store becuase of the theft.

go to www.bicyclemandvd.com it is a site Dan and Dave created to imitate Laurence Millers site, but to say why he is a con artist.

What Laurence Miller is doing is truly what it means to "make a quick buck"


p.s. Why do you want to know about this, do you plan on doing what Mr. Miller did?

[ALLen]

Originally Posted by professor808

magic tricks can not be copyrighted. There for it is not illege in any way to teach magic that you did not create. As long as you make your own video or teach them in person on write in your own words it is legal.

There is a big debate over this right now with a man called Laurence Miller.

He created a dvd called Bicycle Man which is comprised of tricks he was taught by magicians and things he learned from dvds. The creators did not give him any permission and in some cases they have not even released there work yet but only showed it to him because he was an aspiring magician egar to learn.

Right now Dan and Dave are trying to stop dealers from selling these dvds on there sites and store becuase of the theft.

go to www.bicyclemandvd.com it is a site Dan and Dave created to imitate Laurence Millers site, but to say why he is a con artist.

What Laurence Miller is doing is truly what it means to "make a quick buck"


p.s. Why do you want to know about this, do you plan on doing what Mr. Miller did?

truly agree with you man..
that is a legal loophole for teaching new tricks..

but i aint doing what Miller did.

[z0dak]

he was probably just curious.. i dont think he has any intentions of doing what Laruence did.. just one of those.. just wondering questions

[professor808]

All it takes is one lawsuit for a law to be inacted. It would be nice to see Dan and Dave to try and take him to court and make it so we as magicians can copywrite our work. I think it would make some of the other magicians feel more comfertable about releasing there work

[magick]

Originally Posted by professor808

All it takes is one lawsuit for a law to be inacted. It would be nice to see Dan and Dave to try and take him to court and make it so we as magicians can copywrite our work. I think it would make some of the other magicians feel more comfertable about releasing there work

the problem with copywriting a magic trick, is the act of copywriting requires that you detail the method, that then becomes part of public record.....

so anyone that wants can just look up the method, they wont be able to sell it or video it.....but anyone that wanted could look up the method and perform the material.

it wold stop the thieves from stealing and selling another mans work.....but the working performers would benefit.

[ntroberts]

1 and 2 : No.
3 : You don't, by virtue of 1 and 2. However, I'll try to answer the spirit of your question. You find out by asking other magicians.

Originally Posted by magick

the problem with copywriting a magic trick, is the act of copywriting requires that you detail the method, that then becomes part of public record.....

so anyone that wants can just look up the method, they wont be able to sell it or video it.....but anyone that wanted could look up the method and perform the material.

it wold stop the thieves from stealing and selling another mans work.....but the working performers would benefit.

Not exactly. Any work that is copyrightable is automatically copyrighted once you write it down (physically or digitally). You only have to detail it if you want the Copyright Office to cover it, thereby giving you certain legal perks such as being able to get the defendant, if you win, to pay for your legal fees.

Problem is though, there's a massive gray area in traditionally copyrighted material as it is with regards to derivative work. What more in magic which is even harder to delineate properly?

[professor808]

Originally Posted by ntroberts

What more in magic which is even harder to delineate properly?

Yes, and then it become a issue of tricks that combine other moves. If that move you use in your trick is copyrighted, are you breaking the law by usign it in your trick?

Intellectual property law is very difficult and lawers have to go to extra years of college to learn about it.

Originally Posted by magick

the problem with copy writing a magic trick, is the act of copywriting requires that you detail the method, that then becomes part of public record.....

All of David Copperfields illusions are open to the public, but who ever spends the time to look through all of that, and even once you do. Have you ever read one of those things, they are in a language of there own.

[magic123]

I think of it as a crime under some circumstances. You had to learn a trick and you got the secret. This is a very two sided debate.

[professor808]

Originally Posted by magic123

I think of it as a crime under some circumstances. You had to learn a trick and you got the secret. This is a very two sided debate.

You think of copyrigting somethign as a crime, or revealing something as a crime. Beucase it seems all of us here are saying that revealing and stealing is not good, so if this is a two sided debate, i am assuming you are saying copywriting is a crime.