A frequent topic on this forum is piracy - exposure, and how to stop it. I don't think it would surprise you to know that this is a frequent topic of discussion behind the scenes, as well, and something we work to minimize on a daily basis. It's a constant battle for us, and hardly a day goes by when we don't deal with members who, with no moral hesitation whatsoever, upload copyrighted videos of work that does not belong to them.
It's even more troubling when - rarely, but sometimes - we hear about copyright infringement and filesharing from members who post here in these very forums, supposedly respecting the art while at the same time robbing those who are fighting, innovating, on its front lines.
Everyday we have members of our core crew and legal team on the look out. We try to minimize piracy as much as possible in - quite frankly - an effort to protect our work and our business. More than that, we do it to protect our artists - many of whose livelihoods and families depend wholeheartedly on sale of their original work. Every illegal download, every copyrighted video that is shared - does not go unnoticed. It matters - it really does matter.
There comes a point where we must admit that we are only a team of limited resources. And right now especially, we place those resources on what we do best - producing, creating, interacting, and advancing this artform one day at a time. Dealing with copyright infringement is a distraction to that goal, an interference to that objective. So today, we ask for your help.
Help us stop copyright infringement and illegal filesharing within this artform - both in magic and in cardistry. Report any active links that you come across - whether that be a YouTube video of a theory11 production (exposing something for all to see), a RapidShare / MegaVideo link, or any other of the sort.
With your help, we can not only make a difference - but maintain better focus on our work.
http://theory11.wufoo.com/forms/theory11-copyright-report/