A group of 49 Japanese magicians is suing two local television networks for revealing the secrets behind a series of coin tricks in news footage.The case, filed in Tokyo District Court on Tuesday, seeks damages of 1.9m yen (£8,239) from Nippon Television Network Corp and TV Asahi Corp.
Magician Shintaro Fujiyama said the broadcasters had "deprived professional magicians of their assets".
Asahi said it saw no problem with the footage. Nippon TV declined to comment.
"It takes us many years to develop a coin trick as a professional tool," said Mr Fujiyama, 52.
"They must understand how all the time we have spent is wasted by exposure of the trick," he said.
The two networks revealed how the coin tricks were completed last November, after a magician and a pub operator were arrested for punching holes in coins.
It is against the law to damage or melt coins in Japan.
3 comments:
Ha, interesting. I agree wholeheartedly! Sue their asses! Tricks are a part of every magicians living. If people know how they are done, there's no sense of astonishment. Of course then, there's the entertainment aspect...
=)
I don't think exposure hurts magic, particularly. For the most part, the public doesn't care about methods. Interested viewers will watch the show and, potentially, gain a deeper appreciation for the art.
This public hoo hah,, on the other hand, makes the magical community in Japan look silly and backwards. Information wants to be free, as the mantra goes. When magicians claim the disclosure of magical secrets is a lawsuit-worthy offense, they just look as idiotic as the public imagines them to be.
Plus, this lawsuit will help publicize the show and bring it many more viewers. The network must be trying hard not to laugh.
Good points peacelove, I didn't think of it that way.
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