Here's the way I see it.
Its all about money.
Are you making money from the effect? or will you ever make money from the effect?
If the answer is no, then you can perform it tell you're hands fall off and i see no problem.
Why? Is there not VALUE in being able to share magic with your friends and family. Do you and they not get enjoyment from it? Why should it boil down to professional gigs? Let's face it, most people who buy magic and support the release and creation of items are NOT pros, they are amateurs. If all amateurs followed this advice, the flow of creative ideas into the marketplace would cease.
Further, there are people who just like to buy magic. They like to learn secrets. They like to watch performances. These people support the market. Your position gives them free license to steal, basically. I don't think that's what you intend, but it makes your position worth revising.
If i created a piece of magic, and someone figured it out. Then went out and performed it on live tv and made a bunch of money, yeah i would be mad. But if you figure it out, and show it to you're friends then i wouldn't care.
I wouldn't really care if you used it in you're professional act, as long as you are not running around making large sums of money.
Here's the problem - you are assuming that what YOU feel is what everyone would or should feel. If you want to give your material away for free to those who want to use it in a non-commercial setting, no one would fault you for that.
But should we expect all magicians to feel the same way you do? Shouldn't THEY get to decide how their material is disseminated?
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So if I figured out an effect from the trailer or promotional video , must I pay for it just to have the right to perform it ? Its like you , finding a used book on the floor and then searching endlessly for the shop that sold it so that you could pay for it before reading it.Is it logical ? I think not..
This is a twisted scenario. If you found a magic book on the ground, then lucky you. That is different from watching someone else's work - which they sell - and then willfully deconstructing it for your own use. You are INTENTIONALLY taking and using their ideas. Intention goes a long way in ethics.
To be honest with you. I dont think were arguing about completely different views. Im saying that you should purchase a product if your going to use it and so are you. BUT what I'm saying is that it is ok to test out the effect to see if you like it. Sort of like a test drive. Then buy it if your gonna use it to support the creators or scrap it if you dont.
Except, that information is now part of your toolbox. Most of my friends who are pros buy every book they can get their hands on. How much of that material gets added to their shows? Well, directly - almost none. BUT the thinking, the techniques, the thoughts influence their thinking and they have more resources with which to create.
I am putting together a series of magical reveals for an awards show and am tapping into materials I purchased a decade ago.
If you look at magic as nothing more than a series of tricks - then I can see how your position would make sense. But being a magician is more than just doing a bunch of tricks, especially if you ever strive to be original. Any information you gain has value.