Wanted to get thoughts on this. Is it right or wrong? or a right or wrong way of going about it?. I have accumulated literally hundreds and hundreds of original instruction sheets for magic effects. I would say 80% are no longer made. Mostly vintage items. Question is about making them available to those who own the props but not the instructions. Is it wrong do sell copies of them or to create a data base of sorts? I know I have purchased items on the big auction sites that did not have instructions present. I am doing some organizing and didn't realize just how much of these things I had. And I am only talking about making available instruction sheets to old items that are no longer available Nothing new or still being produced today. Things such as Merv Taylor items or Thayer items etc. Your thoughts on a right way to do it that is ethical?. Obviously not going to magic club meeting and just handed the things out but I just feel they could be of use to many people especially those building collections of older items.

Wow, That's a tough one, for sure.
Half to be careful about infringement rights on all things involved, as I'm sure there is still some sort of problem there. Making them availible for view in a collection rather then sending out or selling actual copies, is probubly the best bet.
Just my two cents.
Keith

That is kinda what I was leaning towards as well Keith . Thanks

FYI, between 1978 and 1981 Glenn Gravett complied the instructions for the majority of Thayer's tricks into a 4 volume set published by Magic Limited of Oakland.

Yeas I have the 4 volume set. I do not have a lot of Thayer specifically . I was just using it as an example. I have a large mix of things. Redmon, P&L, Very early Abbott's Merv Taylor and lots others. A big mix of things.

In most cases, these sets of instructions would still be covered by copyright legislation.

Mike

Selling the original seems legit to me. Copying and selling the copies might get a bit murky both legally and ethically.

We have the Abbott instructions online for $4, but only Abbotts. Before we did this Abbott's used to supply instructions for $5 via snail mail. I see this as a product just like anything else.

Remember that (in the US at least) copyright only applies to the fixed form of the thing - i.e. a photograph, written instructions, a video etc. The trick itself cannot be copyright - it is simply an idea. If you write your own instructions then you will be fine legally.
Re-selling the original is absolutely legal. Making further copies of written instructions that are still under copyright is not. Producing your own description of the trick that does not copy the instructions in any way is also legal.