Is it a good thing to get ideas from others, produce/publish this commercially (without permission) but with added benefit for the end-user?

Are you fine with that because it gives you more possibilities OR are you staying with the original idea/product to support the person/company that came up with the idea or product?

Example:
Person A has come up with something, it’s good as it is. Person B thinks he can do it better but also for a very big part depends on the method from person A.
Person A doesn’t give permission to add and/or publish something. Person B decides to still publish his own idea but in that act, he also needs to expose the method from person A.

It’s not about the law or legality just about the feeling and support (loyalty).
Please no name calling or specific examples to keep this “alive”, just curious about the thoughts people have on this subject.

Exposing methods you do not own seems petty clear to be wrong.

Knowing who does create it and Exposing because you want to seems wrong. I mean since you are going to do it with or without permission why even ask?

Either it is important to respect the work and ideas of others or it isn't. Which side do you stand on? That is the only question.

Sometimes in life as hard as it is to imagine we don't always get what we want. I think the Stones have a song to that effect.

First of all, thanks for your opinion Danny. I myself have the same feeling as you, the reference to the Stones is spot on. About the “asking for permission and still doing it”: I think it’s because when you get permission it looks and feel nicer to others. But as you wrote: if that’s the case, that person had a double agenda in advance and that says a lot about ethics and moral. Personally I would choose to accept it as it is and live with the limitations. I would not set aside my ethics and moral to “get what I want”. The reason why I started this thread is because I think these situations could damage the community.

These situations have been around for centuries. They are not new at all. They are not suddenly springing up.

The answer is obvious. Don't expose methods without permission. Trying to parse words to find loopholes and such is excuse making and not helpful at all.

If you are going to copy the work of an artist and "improve it" even though not asked to participate in that venture by the artist...
First - what does the work mean to the artist?

Is this about vanity for getting published? The benefit of the publisher?

Thanks for your reply Jonathan. Since there is nothing wrong with changing a method/effect or product for your own use, there should/could be another reason. Vanity, business wise or maybe someone even genuinely thinks he is helping others, thus bypassing the creator of an effect, method or product.

Since legally it seems hard to protect certain things, ethics, moral and crediting seem to be important in the world of magic & mentalism. I am curious about what the end-users think. Not to start a discussion and saying it isn’t right (or wrong) but to get a “value free” understanding of the thought process. Why do you think it’s right or wrong?

There is much wrong about copying the work of another artist without explicit permission. Then it comes to selling. Once found it becomes a fuss for those who do care about such things to track the works back to their originators.

As long as you enjoy value free tricks, props, and books - enjoy. Some of us know how many years it may take to work out what appear trivial details in a work.

Compare "This Year's Girl" to "Ashes to Ashes". Also notice they don't compete for market.