Its a tough decision and a double edged sword.
The creator can stop releasing effects, keep them to themselves, but then they are missing out on a boat load of revenue from sales.
Piracy is going to be a problem no matter what for awhile. Even if DVD's are encrypted a certain way, then someone else goes and creates the program to decrypt it and burn away. It does make it more difficult though.
For the downloads, I wonder if the better way to do it would be to give access to the video but it does not actually download to the consumer's computer. For your money, you get a password that allows you to get on said magician's website and view the video 24 hrs a day but there is absolutely NO WAY to get it or save the file.
People might be turned off to this but it could be a solution.
Honestly, if they were dead-set on revealing,
They'd find a way.
A simple video camera to the computer screen to tape it themselves and re-upload it would do the trick.
I know, who would waste their time?
-Losers who have no life and instead of practice would do it with their spare time.
Something needs to give though. We're already started to have artists create effects and not want to market their secrets for this reason. They don't want the method to wind up in the wrong hands.
Think about it. Look how rapidly an awesome impromptu trick like Sinful got out of hand. There were hundreds of videos explaining how to do it on youtube.
Eventually it was revealed on TV by the masked retard.
Sadly, I wish that wasn't released. It
was an awesome effect.
I'd rather not know the method and be able to watch it every time than knowing the method now, and not being able to perform it.