Magic and Trade Secrets

From the Economist, an interesting story about how magicians protect the trade secrets of their magic tricks without resort to the law.

Apparently, the issue is attracting some academic interest among those in the so-called IP "negative space" which, in addition to magic, includes fashion and haute cuisine.

Yale Law School professor Jacob Loshin has an article on the subject. (The link is here.)

Part of the secret of doing it without law: magicians have developed a "unique set of informal norms and sanctions for violators."