This is what a card says inside the Spreadwave box:
"All legal owners who are in possession
of an original copy of Spreadwave have the right to perform this effect in non-recorded,
non-broadcast, live first-person, non-ticketed, non-theatrical performance settings only."
So basically, this restricts any professional from buying this. Actually, by those
restrictions, a ten-year-old isn't permitted to perform this at a talent show.
And also,
good luck enforcing those restrictions. The only way to know what you bought has those restrictions
is to open up the card box, which doesn't make them legally binding (see a similar losing Microsoft
lawsuit).
The trick is not bad, but buying this is pointless if I can't perform it.
There's absolutely NO WAY this is legally enforcible!
It's like opening up a cereal box and then finding on the inside a disclaimer note saying "BTW, this cereal box may contain cyanide, eat at your own risk!"
You have to issue your "Caveats" BEFORE an event or product is produced & distributed, not afterwards. Whoever gave Mathieu Bich this advice, or DIDN'T give him, is the one who failed to perform their "Due dillegence". Perhaps it was Bich himself, but regardless, to add another two examples, it's like selling someone a home, advertising it as "perfect" and then when they hand you the house key at the closing, in point .000001th of an inch print font there's a warning that btw, the house is half eaten by termites.
Or imagine buying a 2nd hand car advertised as having only 30,000 miles on it, and after you've plunked down your $, the salesman says "Btw, that 30,000 miles only counts the even years the owner drove it - he would've told you if only you'd have asked him!"
Listen, go ahead and enjoy the trick and perform it whenever & wherever the hell you want to!
I doubt you'll be doing it on national TV but do you honestly think Bich has American spies out all over the place checking to see if anyone performs his tricks?! Really?
C'mon! If you're going to get angry about something, there are far more important things than this!!
He lives somewhere in Europe. And if he wants to sue you great! He has to fly over here, hire lawyers, pay for a hotel etc. Then, You can counter-sue him for 100.000x the amount including your lawyer fees & you'll win hands down.
If you're that Paranoid, just make a screenshot of the page showing there's no warnings about the restrictive performance rights on TV etc anywhere on the box or advt and make several hard copies & put them away and save them carefully.
Believe me, you will realistically NEVER EVER hear from Bich or his lawyers. I'm not sure why he or his reps or distributors inserted this idiotic disclaimer in the inside of their DVD, but let that be THEIR problem, not yours.
It's a super cool trick, you've paid for it. So go out & perform it & blow people's minds with it & forget about this legal b.S. some idiot slapped on the DVD after-the-fact. It will never, ever mean anything & in the very unlikely event it did, an American judge would laugh it out of court. - - - Jonathan K
