Terry Cowgill

Code of Ethics

October 16, 2007 on 12:33 pm | In Oddball |

Not long after I started this blog last year, I wrote a post about a party at The White Hart that featured a magician (see photo at right). I wondered aloud how they managed to keep their tricks secret.

Well, here are some insights into the machinations behind the wall of silence. We’re talking boycotts, threats and legal action against those who disseminate the secrets.

But most interesting is the question of whether a magic trick falls under the realm of “intellectual property.” It’s not clear since the tricks are not published except in semi-secret magician trade journals that (I’m sure) would magically disappear if they ever found their way onto a newsstand. Fascinating.