Soon after my last post concerning magic, piracy and some Internet ne’er-do-wells, I received an email from Derek DelGaudio. He wanted me to know his contest to discover the owners of a magic piracy site had borne fruit. He asked me to withhold some of the details for a little while, as there were some behind-the-scenes things happening, all of which seemed to point towards a positive outcome.
What really stuck with me was his candour about why he did this. Not out of some sense of the greater good for the magic community, but, instead:
…so I can better understand the world I live in. If I can understand it, perhaps, I can improve my chances of making it a better place.
For what it’s worth, I think there’s a lesson there that’s wider than this discussion.
Today I received another email from Derek, one that may well validate the idea of community policing espoused in my original post. It turns out the owners of the original piracy site stepped up and wanted to make amends. They agreed to work with Derek, transforming the site into one with an anti-piracy theme, in exchange for relative anonymity – no release of surnames. With the help of Jonathan Bayme (CEO of theory11), this new venture looks to make the world – at least the magic world – a better place:
So, with thanks to my new friends Brian, Jason and Mr. Jonathan Bayme, the project is underway and we are proud to announce the new Magicsnoop.com, a site that will actively pursue and protect the intellectual property of magicians.
Good work, Derek. I look forward to seeing how this new chapter unfolds, and if the world is ready to be made a better place.
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