Adam, the very notion of IP in magic is troublesome to those who confuse the land of "do as you please" with the land of "take what you want".

But some of us are working on getting some basic IP notions settled into common sense and agreed upon language.

The question comes as to where we stand on this issue.

Will we use other people's material without their express permission?

Will we support those who sell other people's material without the inventor's permission?

We are each accountable for our actions. It is our actions which announce our choices.

Choice. Consistency often implies some principle at work. Inconsistency often implies base utilitarian principles at work.

We each get to choose.

It is easier to copy than to create, not only that someone else has already paved the road for you with a money making act/performance.

Why would this guy change his act if people are willing to pay for it? People may even be drawn in by it, can you imagine someone wanting to go see "flying"? Sure they remember David did it so they will more than likely go just from the name. Hence the trademark on David's name alone (trademark, is that correct Jonathon I get those mixed up with copyrights).

On the comment that David owes the magic community something...WoW! I about choked to death on that one! I know I wasn't on the street corner promoting his show, I may have paid to see his show before but that is as far as it ever went. He may be a steward to magic in itself, but to say he actually owes other magicians is just plain crazy. David has already set up a museum to provide a safe haven for magic artifacts and he is also Ambassador of Magic in S.A.M.

And yes he has given back. Who provided the funding for the repair of Houdini's grave? Who funds project magic? And by the way have you ever heard David bash another magician?

Sure you could buy some of the props that David uses (elevator, not sure if John sells the flying equip or not), but to copy the whole performance is wrong whether it is a promo or not! His marketing is based on what DC has accomplished.

BYUDAD, you are correct that this guy wouldn't make it out of the local market using that stuff. Nobody nationally would stand by watching the DC show being performed by someone else. And I will go out on a limb here and say that I am fairly certain that he has no permission from David to be doing so.

Yes, he made a snide comment about Doug Henning in his 'rap' on the Niagra Falls Special, I found it offensive.

Yo,my name is Dave,
and I get my kicks
showing people my magic tricks.

Well I dress real cool,
with an attitude,
that's why I lasted longer,
than that Henning dude.

etc etc

Never heard that before. That's sick...just plain sick. Doug Henning was and STILL IS a legend. I was just a wee lad when I first saw him on the Muppet Show, but that was my first taste of magic and no one....and I repeat NO ONE has done it better since. For someone to make a comment like that is just a total slap in the face to the art we love so much. And as for the original video posted, I hope DC does see this. That is a total rip off. Does anyone else think the narrator sounded a little like Vincent Price?

Before offering any comment about that "rap"...

Would someone else kindly confirm what was on that TV special.

Thanks

[quote]On 2007-05-09 21:17, WagsterMagic wrote:
If I wanted to rip off Jeff McBride..."BADLY!"...I would do it something like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d2YtVHPOm3Y

Best,
Brandon

that's one heck of a large Interlude illusion for such a big guys.

Yes its on the niagra falls special - just before he cuts the lady into 9 pieces.
It's said with a smile and a twinkle of the eye.

I always hear such confluicting things about Copperfield either he is a great guy or a complete ***hole...which is it folks?

Yes,

It must take crisco for the interlude illusion to work.
hahahahahaha.

Best
Brandon

I have the same issues, Mac. I have herd it both ways. I used to travel quite a bit and would often do magic at the table for the waitress at the local greasy spoon. On more than one occasion, I got stories of the time DC's tour bus pulled up at chow time.

Half the time the story was that he was great and came in and ate with the crew and did a few effects and signed autographs etc.

The other half were about what a jerk he was and that he wouldn't sign something, if he even came in in the first place.

So the guy dosn't sign something and it makes him a jerk?

Funny how we relate things how we want too isn't it?

Ok ,evry body of you are good (only for talk about the other peoples),
yhe rip off is' not rip off etc.etc but I want see your show !I don't have nothig on enybody but when you work really is different(when I mean work is not child bhirtday sometines or may be some wedding in the sunday) I talk about professionists,ok

can you tell me why evry body want see different prop's but the most big builders in the world sell the same ideas?
why?
evry body do the same ?
yes this is truth!
ask me somethings I want know what you mean about this,
thanks.

I don't think it makes him a jerk at all.

I come from a small town of about 35,000 and so when I was doing paid restaurant many years ago, there were about 3 restaurants I was booked to a regualr basis. Being from such a small town and working the same venues on a pretty regualr scheudel, people started to know who I was. I got interupted during meals out with my family from time to time to do a trick or make somebody's kid a balloon etc.

It gets triesome and in the beginning, I would be accomodating. After a while, I started telling people where I was booked next and that they could catch me there

Now, for guys like DC, they're constantly getting asked for autogrpahs to pose for photos etc. While it's nice for them to give back to the fans, who may only have that one shot at meeting them, I'm sure at the end of the day for them it's like our bosses forcing us to work OT day in and day out. After a while, you can't pretend to be happy about it anymore and it shows.

Of couuse my Pm was a provocation but not totally,
about the guy (like Copperfield style no comment)where is your personality MAN?
but my question was about the illusions?
nobody ask me ?

WHAT>?

He must be using a translator... I can't make out a thing he is saying.

LOL..Meatloaf... I was thinking the same thing.

Now I wasn't going to criticize the guy on his performance or video but when I saw the knockoff Interlude it made me take a second look. Check out his website.. he has photos of other performers along the top of his website. http://www.shawnanthonymagic.com The props aren't the same ones in the video and that is NOT his silhouette in the photos either. Nothing like stealing another performers photos to promote yourself. He calls his Fan Club.." The Faithful"... hmmmm...kind of like the " Loyal" isn't it???? Lastly... he is selling T-Shirts with his logo but he doesn't even have a real shirt to display. He did a bad photoshop past of his logo on a photo of shirt.

Gee.. you'd think that someone about to embark on a WORLD TOUR would have some T-Shirts ready to sell. LOL

Best,

Tim

P.S. I'm a Meatloaf fan so I'm not dissing the look! LOL

Those shirts are awful! I can see not wanting to carry a bunch of inventory, but that is just awful.

If I were thinking about hiring this guy and took the time to browse the rest of the site and saw that, he wouldn't get the job. I hate to be picky, but if he woudl do that on his own site, what would his show look like?

At least talk to the folks at Café Press. They'll give you a decent mock up of your logo on a shirt....

Ok, here is my two cents on the issue. I know I am new to the forum so hear me out on a few issues, and please don't judge me or hate me for my views. I grew up watching reruns of Henning, Paul Daniels, Copperfield, and now days there are new people popping onto the Scene, have you seen Criss Angel. He flys, floats, on one episode is cut into, throws a deck of cards at a window and the chosedn card penetrates it, did I mention he floats and flys. Do I like Criss Angel? Yes, and I like anyone who does magic who is entertaining and carries their own style.

In todays market it is sometimes hard for someone to come up with a one hundred percent orginal idea with how comercilized our industry is. For istance in another post I commented on how I recently made my version of Cardiographic. I was rather impresed with a discription I saw in HANK LEES, and sat down and thought, HOW CAN I MAKE THIS. And I did, granted I did end up buying it,
only cuase I wanted to get tips that would possibly enhance my performance of it. So the question now becomes, did I steal the trick from Copperfield. Abouslutley not. I had no knowladge that Copperfield had done that trick untill I read a post on this message board about it and then viewed the clip.

The question of stealing a trick arises when a performer duplicates the exact trick (even without for knowladge) the routine, the look, the charcter etc. Magicians for years have been doing others tricks, expanding on it, and trying to make it their own.
,
If we are going to accuse another magician of stealing Copperfeilds stuff, simply on the basis of his perfomance line up, then we must accuse the following of stealing other Magicians stuff as well; Blaine, Blackstone, Paul Daniels, Criss Angel, Harry Houdini, Thurston, Blackstone SR, Henning, the list could go on. Over half the illusions or effects in most magicians routines now days was created by and or perofomed by another magicain previously. The issue of theft in my oppinion only arrises when you copy every aspect of another magicain when he did the effects. Every magician I just mentioned has done another magicains tricks at one time or another, but they each have their own style, dres, charcter, and even sometimes their on take on the effect. If you want to do THE HEAD MOVER, fine, if you want TO FLY, then float untill the pull of gravity rips your legs off, if you want to THROW CARDS at a window to have the chosen one do it, then do it and hope you don't shatter your bosses new BMW winshield in the process, but for the sake of all that's goood and holy, be yourself. We can each learn from the masters of magic, and we can sometimes even take effects they performed and perform them (hopefully expand on them) but please be orginal in how you present it.

I do street magic and stage magic. I wear tight levis, a white ball cap, blazers, sometimes a large belt buckle, sometimes cowboy boots, sometimes tennishoes, sometimes a sequened jacket with my black ferdora and white bandana, and I have even done magic in nude (at my house of course). Iam my own person, granted my dress my appear more like Keyna West, or Boy George at times, but I certinaly don't try to look like Angel Copperfield, or any other, and neither should anyone else.

Please don't take offence in how I worte this, I am not attacking anyone, just stating the obvious.

He did not cop the trick, he copped the style, the music, the movements and so forth. This is the issue.

There are those who feel 'imitation' is acceptable (to themselves at least) in the performing and expressive arts.

and there are those who understand that imitation without expressed permission and approval of the one being imitated is about the gravest personal insult in the arts.