In this November 2008 story, the BBC revisits the question of whether magicians can use IP law to copyright a magic trick, this time interviewing lawyer/magician Guy Hollingsworth. His answer, from the other side of the pond, seems to be "no." One might be able to copyright the presentation, but not the trick itself.
An idea alone cannot be covered by law, and so simply inviting someone to choose a card, for example, and then making it appear in a wallet, is not something the law can or will protect, says Hollingworth.
A scripted presentation of a trick however, would amount to a "literary work" in which copyright exists and unscrupulous competitors could be sued for breach of it.
But this still does not protect the trick per se - merely the presentation of it.
Here's a link to the story, and to an interview with Mr. Hollingsworth. The article also discusses the notorious case of the "Masked Magician."
Could it be possible to see the Brazilian case that had sucess in order to follow up in other countries as well.
Posted by: Carlos Zea | September 04, 2009 at 09:08 AM
Would it be possible to reveal a trick that has copyrights to show how is it really done in order to dicredit the program of the mask Magician??? This could air on the TV NEWS
Posted by: Carlos Zea | September 04, 2009 at 09:11 AM