Me and my Shadow—World-famous magician, Teller, wins summary judgment against copycat magician

摘要

Teller, the more demure half of the world famous "Penn and Teller" magician duo, recently prevailed on a summary judgment motion in a copyright infringement claim asserted against Gerard Dogge, a Dutch performer who re-enacted an illusion Teller performed for more than 30 years. Teller v. Dogge, 2:12-CV-591,2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 36712 (D. Nev. Mar. 20, 2014). Teller registered Shadows as a "dramatic pantomime" work with the United States Copyright Office on January 6,1983 protecting, inter alia, his exclusive right to perform the remarkable illusion that Teller began performing as part of his magic show in 1976. Teller's signature work begins with a spotlight fixed on a vase that contains a single rose, whose shadow is displayed against a white background canvass. Teller uses a large knife to sever the leaves and petals of the rose's shadow, "causing" the corresponding parts of the actual rose resting in the vase to fall, applying various techniques that may harness the supernatural.