Has Charles Gauci Been Ripped Off? Your Input Please!

[Guest]

I have been following this discussion and wanted to add a reply. First this conversation has gone off on different tangents many times with personal attacks and nonsense.

Secondly this post by Magicman

Originally posted by magicman357:
Where did you steal, I mean come up with this so called original idea for eye to eye

Is reasonable, as he said

Originally posted by magicman357:
Magic has been around for a long time and far to many time tricks that are long forgotten become new to us.

I think that some proof from Mr. Gauci's part would be nice, but that is not the issue, the issue is that his "new" trick was copied. Magic is copied and imitated quite frequently. The market for imitation is there because no everyone wants to pony up the money for a trick they could most likely copy their selves.

Granted this issue is more about a business and ethical sense, but isn?t it said that imitation is the highest form of flattery?

I know that might sound ridiculous, but imagine if all products were not imitated to try to be improved in one way or another.

[Guest]

I do understand that this is a public forum and every one adds their thoughts and expresses their opinions, but my initial post with my expressions were addresses and directed to Mr. Gauci. Which by the way has not replied.

As for the fascination with magicman357:
I go and am known by Magicman, the add-on 357 is because Magicman alone was taken, and I chose that to be the alternative.

Why is it so important for us to be on a first name bases anyway, my opinions would be the same regardless.

As far as the comments I made about Mr. Gauci's effect, "if the effect is his or not" comes from some well know magi and magic historians that have given me names of a couple of magicians that have performed this long before Charles could take credit for.If this is true, I am, and will get concrete conformation on this soon. If these magicians disproved my statement I will gladly, humbly and publicly retract that statement and apologize. The reason behind the comment it that it burns me that all this slinging is going on and the effect may not be in fact original at all.

Magicman

[Geno Munari]

Why are all you first time posters coming out of the woodwork so late in the game? Which is OK, but what cause are you campaigning for? I am not sure....

Amazing.....

[Guest]

Is it not time to put this to rest?
Gibby :confused:

[Guest]

Originally posted by Geno Munari:
Why are all you first time posters coming out of the woodwork so late in the game? Which is OK, but what cause are you campaigning for? I am not sure....

Amazing.....

Im not campaining I simply wanted to state my opinion and views seeing as since I have been following this thread with interest.

Should it matter that this is my first post. Apparently opinions are to be kept to ones self and not expressed in a so called "public Forum".

I think that I will keep my opinions to myself from now on so that my opinions dont impose on any more of your fragile beliefs.

[Doug Dyment]

Educated opinions can always inform a discussion, but those from anonymous posters situated in anonymous locations are generally (and correctly, in my opinion) considered suspect.

... Doug

[Guest]

Originally posted by ddyment:
Educated opinions can always inform a discussion, but those from anonymous posters situated in anonymous locations are generally (and correctly, in my opinion) considered suspect.

... Doug

So in other words my opinion, which was not attacking anyone, is uneducated because I refuse to post my location and my name. That is the most ridiculous of all things I have heard to date.

If you want you can call me Miguel, or Juan if that makes you feel better. And you can say Im from your hometown.

It is ludicris to believe that your opinions are better or more educated than mine simply because you decide to divulge your real name and location.

utterly confused....

Miguel or Juan or whatever makes you happy

[Richard Kaufman]

Gentlemen (or ladies, as any anonymous poster may be): Please don't be nasty. Whether or not one accepts the views of those posters who use an alias is entirely a personal matter.
Many feel that the opinion of anyone using an alias is suspect. Many others take the opposite view. Obviously all of those who use an alias don't care if you take them seriously or not!
By the way, I received a copy of "Eye to Eye" the other day and have been fooling the hell out of everyone with it. :)

[Richard Kaufman]

Gibby, please ... .

[Doug Dyment]

Repent wrote:

So in other words my opinion, which was not attacking anyone, is uneducated because I refuse to post my location and my name. That is the most ridiculous of all things I have heard to date.

Alas, "Repent" heard this in his or her own mind, as I certainly wrote no such thing (which an educated reading of my posting will verify).

What is suspect is not the poster's education (which is usually self-evident), but the poster's agenda. Many boards (and almost all newspapers) do not permit anonymous postings/letters, for this very reason. A policy I did not originate, but with which I concur.

... Doug

[Guest]

My apologies Richard.This subject has been whipped to death and maybe should be locked down.
Gibby

[Ryan Matney]

There is one thing I am curious about. If 'Whispering Dragons' is an authoized variant, then why did Charles Gauci email Richard Kaufman at the beginning and say he was being ripped off by 'whispering dragons?' :confused:

[Doug Dyment]

Ryan asked:

If 'Whispering Dragons' is an authoized variant, then why did Charles Gauci email Richard Kaufman at the beginning and say he was being ripped off by 'whispering dragons?'

I'm not privy to what Richard Kaufman received, but I do know that Richard Gerlitz requested (and was granted) permision from Charles to market Sea-Ling's Whispering Dragons (which uses the Gauci methodology). If you check the Gerlitz Website ( http://www.us-websites.com/whisperingdragons.htm ), you'll see that Gauci is appropriately credited. I know that Charles didn't see this as conflicting with his market, and was happy to authorize it.

... Doug

[Andy Hurst]

Well Ryan is right to be confused then.

This is what Richard Kaufman posted way back when this long thread started (about half way down the first page I think).

I have just received another e-mail from Charles Gauci with the information that someone named Gurlitz has ALSO ripped off his effect "Eye to Eye" under the name "Whispering Dragons."
I REALLY want to hear from some of you who have purchased these three items and whether or not they are, indeed, the same as "Eye to Eye."

Then later at the end of page 3 of this thread..

Just so we're all on the same page regarding the rest of the events:
1)Murphy's has stopped selling "Perfect Guess."
2)The Jerry Somderdin rip-off has also been discontinued by MagicSmith.
3)The third item "Whispering Dragon" or whatever it's called appears to be an authorized variation, marketed with permission.

So something has been mis-read, mis-typed or mis-quoted - I'm not sure which. I'm sure Richard can clear this one up, although I don't for the life of me know why I'm still reading this thread, whoever said "it's been beaten to death" is right. The entire thread is like an investigation into who broke in your house and stole the garbage from the trash cans and that's all they took.

Andy

[John Smetana]

.Andy Hurst wrote:
The entire thread is like an investigation into who broke in your house and stole the garbage from the trash cans and that's all they took.

So in your opinion it's what's stolen that makes the crime, not the fact that your house was broken into. Perhaps if someone just broke into the house and wrote on the walls it would be completely OK.It's amazing how many people can see so many sides to the issue when their ox is not being gored.

John Smetana

[Andy Hurst]

Guess I should have said 'steals your trash from your front yard' and not 'house broken into'.

I didn't say it's not a crime, but even the police worry less about some crimes than others.

If a crime has been commited, I guess we can all look forward to the court case.

It just amazes me that other rip-offs go less talked about than this puzzle trick saga.

Andy "I don't have an ox" Hurst.

[Guest]

Andy, theft is theft, minor or major, it's still theft.

That's not the only thing about your message that concerns me, however. Of more concern is your analogy of a person's creation, which he's put lots of hard work into developing and refining, to trash. This is absolutely ridiculous, and an insult to anybody who has ever created anything in magic.

[Andy Hurst]

Originally posted by Andy Leviss:
Andy, theft is theft, minor or major, it's still theft.

That's not the only thing about your message that concerns me, however. Of more concern is your analogy of a person's creation, which he's put lots of hard work into developing and refining, to trash. This is absolutely ridiculous, and an insult to anybody who has ever created anything in magic.

I did say "I didn't say it wasnt a crime".

I suggest you check out 'Analogy' in the dictionary:


analogy Pronunciation Key (-nl-j)

Similarity in some respects between things that are otherwise dissimilar


My comparison is of dissimilar things. Yes its wrong that someone steals an idea. I never said it wasn't.

Respectfully,

Andy

[Ryan Matney]

Andy Leviss,

To say that Andy Hurst insulted everyone that ever created anything is a bit overblown. I believe he was just insulting "eye to eye" not the person that created it.

But the real point is that all of us should step back and get a little perspective. It's just a trick, guys. Chill.

Now is anyone gonna answer what I asked? Why did Charles email Kaufman if the variant was authorized?

[Doug Dyment]

Mr. Matney repeated:

Now is anyone gonna answer what I asked? Why did Charles email Kaufman if the variant was authorized?

First, this assumes hearsay to be fact, hardly conducive to an effective search for the truth.

Second, it's not clear from whom he expects an answer to the question, given that Mr. Gauci himself is on tour through November. Unless some further hearsay would be acceptable.


With respect to Mr. Hurst's views (and I am pleased to assume that he will not be performing this effect), I find them interesting to compare with those of at least three successful full-time performers of whom I am aware that perform "Eye to Eye" in their regular stage acts. There's certainly no accounting for tastes.

... Doug

[Richard Kaufman]

Guys, I can understand your confusion over "Whispering Dragon" and I was merely conveying information that had been given to me. Perhaps, initally, there was some misunderstanding between Gauci and Gerlitz, however everything is now hunky-dory. So that's done with.
And so is this thread, having served whatever purpose it may have served.