Alright, I've watched the whole video (it's a long one, but everything is super relevant in the end).
Here's my personal take and critique
After hearing all the testimonies, there's only one thing I can wish for that little Mesika:
THE ABSOLUTE WORST IN LIFE.
I AM ABSOLUTELY THRILLED I haven't given this individual, who calls himself a magician/entrepreneur, any profit on his replacement parts, and he has truly disappointed me.
From now on, I'm going to encourage EVERYONE to make their own loops, and I hope no one ever buys his product again.
I'm also going to encourage everyone to make their own SpiderPro/Tarantula2 refills, just like I do.
(I NEVER intended to publish this, but after this video..., I feel morally obligated to share what I've done so that anyone who wants to can follow suit)
While it's true that the gadgets, the actual devices themselves, those you should buy (and give him that profit), the refills, NO.
It costs me less than 50 cents to make each spool. Obviously, you have to add in the work time I dedicate to it, which is no more than 1 hour per spool, including stripping down a 10-meter thread.
Spools made on a resin printer (40cts each).
The one on the right is a copy of the original; the 2 on the left are modified to hold more thread if desired.
Stripping the thread.
About 20 minutes for a 10-meter thread (Mesika's spools are 7.5 meters).
By the way, 10 meters of thread costs me 1 cent.
Then we wind the thread onto the spool (I use the SpiderPro itself to spool it in a matter of seconds).
And finally, we store them in a very neat little container that I easily make myself.
Different colors, spools, and lengths.
Each color-coded jar holds 4 spools.
The blue and red ones are 10 meters, and the green ones are 5 meters.
In the photo below, I have 920 meters of thread on spools in reserve, made by me, for me.
Investment? Being generous, no more than 80 Euros.
If I had to buy all that, I would spend almost 1000 Euros.
I think I've won by a landslide, and I have nothing more to say.
All the best and happy magic!!!
P.S.: If someone asks, "And isn't the spool copyrighted or patented?."
The answer is simple: if you're not selling them and you're making them for yourself, copyrights and patents aren't worth squat. As long as you're not making a direct profit (if you use your spools in a paid gig, the profit would be indirect from their use), there's nothing Mesika can do.
He's got his own version of the truth, and there's no talking him out of it.
The flying ring effect – which I can do perfectly well without a Tarantula or Spider Pen, mind you – he supposedly claims is exclusively his, and no one else can sell it.
How can it be his? That was being done long before he ever invented any of his 'mechanized reels.'
And what's more, he claims that mechanized ITR's are his property, and no one can manufacture them without paying him royalties.
Pfft, I'm done with arrogant types.
Better to just ignore them and move on to something productive.
Here are some comments I shared in a Telegram group on this very topic. Hopefully, they'll be helpful:
I did a patent search, and here's what I found: There isn't a patent on the idea of Loops themselves (which comes from Finn Jon). What does show up are several patents by Yigal Mesika related to packaging and holders: one for the Innercircle-style case, another for the notched sheet to store them, and a more recent one for a different type of case. Also, the brand name “LOOPS” is registered under Mesika's name.
I checked Google Patents, and it's confirmed that Yigal Mesika does have granted patents on packaging and holders for Loops; they're not just applications. Here are the direct links:
US 7,861,861 B2 – Container for holding elastic loops therein
So yes, they're officially registered, and it's not just about pending applications.
If you look inside, you'll see that he's keeping them paid up 🤣🤣
Now, on the topic of patents, just to give you an idea:
In Spain, as a general guideline:
A patent can cost several thousand euros (€3,000–€6,000 with an agent) and can take years to be granted.
A utility model is much cheaper and faster, usually costing between €900 and €1,500.
Basically, the patent is expensive and slow, and the utility model is the affordable and quick version.
If you then add going to other countries to protect yourself... in magic, I don't see it paying off.
Lastly:
Since we're on a patent kick, I started looking into the classification A63J21/00 (for magic apparatus). NOTE the slash, or it won't work in some search engines. Espacenet shows about 1260 since 1865, and Patentscope shows about 1010 since 1903.
In Spain, in over a century, only about 32 patents on magic-related topics have been granted.
So, in magic, very little gets patented.
This is an excerpt from what I posted in that conversation. I hope it helps.
I don't think it's wrong to patent something if you've invented it, but in the world of magic, considering the potential clientele and the amount of money that can be made, it's very complicated. You have to patent it before you know if your product will bear fruit…
So yeah, they're officially registered, not just some applications in progress.
Well @cdiaz, what he's actually registered is literally JACK SQUAT, and I'll explain.
Those patents are nothing at all; he hasn't registered any magic effect or trick in any of them (because he knows he can't), and he tries to register what he can, like packaging and little else.
The problem with the patents he does have pending (AND THEY'LL NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS BE GRANTED) are the ones he has regarding his flying ring (Ring Flight), which is a blatant rip-off, because he talks about copyrights, yet he's infringed them himself by copying something that Steve Sheridan (Rinky Dinky) released 20 years ago.
From now on (for me), the name Mesika means scammer, and I hope every bad thing possible happens to him for the rest of his life, because of his egotism.
Hey zeta. As Dai Vernon once said, are you in this for money or for magic? In your case, it's pretty clear. By the way, Yigal posted a video responding, but he's since taken it down. There must be a reason for that.
Here's the video where Yigal responds. It landed in my inbox, which surprised me – and judging by the comments, I'm not the only one. It's in English, and I can't seem to get Spanish subtitles to work. If anyone figures out how, let me know!
Join the conversation
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Alright, I've watched the whole video (it's a long one, but everything is super relevant in the end).
Here's my personal take and critique
After hearing all the testimonies, there's only one thing I can wish for that little Mesika:
THE ABSOLUTE WORST IN LIFE.
I AM ABSOLUTELY THRILLED I haven't given this individual, who calls himself a magician/entrepreneur, any profit on his replacement parts, and he has truly disappointed me.
From now on, I'm going to encourage EVERYONE to make their own loops, and I hope no one ever buys his product again.
https://magigram.com/es/club/beginners/taller-de-magia-guia-tutorial-de-la-tejedora-de-bucles-loops-knitter-parte-1-de-2-1048/
https://magigram.com/es/club/beginners/taller-de-magia-guia-tutorial-de-la-tejedora-de-bucles-loops-knitter-parte-2-de-2-1049/
I'm also going to encourage everyone to make their own SpiderPro/Tarantula2 refills, just like I do.
(I NEVER intended to publish this, but after this video..., I feel morally obligated to share what I've done so that anyone who wants to can follow suit)
While it's true that the gadgets, the actual devices themselves, those you should buy (and give him that profit), the refills, NO.
It costs me less than 50 cents to make each spool. Obviously, you have to add in the work time I dedicate to it, which is no more than 1 hour per spool, including stripping down a 10-meter thread.
Spools made on a resin printer (40cts each).
The one on the right is a copy of the original; the 2 on the left are modified to hold more thread if desired.
Stripping the thread.
About 20 minutes for a 10-meter thread (Mesika's spools are 7.5 meters).
By the way, 10 meters of thread costs me 1 cent.
Then we wind the thread onto the spool (I use the SpiderPro itself to spool it in a matter of seconds).
And finally, we store them in a very neat little container that I easily make myself.
Different colors, spools, and lengths.
Each color-coded jar holds 4 spools.
The blue and red ones are 10 meters, and the green ones are 5 meters.
In the photo below, I have 920 meters of thread on spools in reserve, made by me, for me.
Investment? Being generous, no more than 80 Euros.
If I had to buy all that, I would spend almost 1000 Euros.
I think I've won by a landslide, and I have nothing more to say.
All the best and happy magic!!!
P.S.: If someone asks, "And isn't the spool copyrighted or patented?."
The answer is simple: if you're not selling them and you're making them for yourself, copyrights and patents aren't worth squat. As long as you're not making a direct profit (if you use your spools in a paid gig, the profit would be indirect from their use), there's nothing Mesika can do.
He's got his own version of the truth, and there's no talking him out of it.
The flying ring effect – which I can do perfectly well without a Tarantula or Spider Pen, mind you – he supposedly claims is exclusively his, and no one else can sell it.
How can it be his? That was being done long before he ever invented any of his 'mechanized reels.'
And what's more, he claims that mechanized ITR's are his property, and no one can manufacture them without paying him royalties.
Pfft, I'm done with arrogant types.
Better to just ignore them and move on to something productive.
Here are some comments I shared in a Telegram group on this very topic. Hopefully, they'll be helpful:
I did a patent search, and here's what I found: There isn't a patent on the idea of Loops themselves (which comes from Finn Jon). What does show up are several patents by Yigal Mesika related to packaging and holders: one for the Innercircle-style case, another for the notched sheet to store them, and a more recent one for a different type of case. Also, the brand name “LOOPS” is registered under Mesika's name.
I checked Google Patents, and it's confirmed that Yigal Mesika does have granted patents on packaging and holders for Loops; they're not just applications. Here are the direct links:
https://patents.google.com/patent/US7861861B2/en
https://patents.google.com/patent/US8408394B2/en
https://patents.google.com/patent/US10183780B2/en
So yes, they're officially registered, and it's not just about pending applications.
If you look inside, you'll see that he's keeping them paid up 🤣🤣
Now, on the topic of patents, just to give you an idea:
In Spain, as a general guideline:
A patent can cost several thousand euros (€3,000–€6,000 with an agent) and can take years to be granted.
A utility model is much cheaper and faster, usually costing between €900 and €1,500.
Basically, the patent is expensive and slow, and the utility model is the affordable and quick version.
If you then add going to other countries to protect yourself... in magic, I don't see it paying off.
Lastly:
Since we're on a patent kick, I started looking into the classification A63J21/00 (for magic apparatus). NOTE the slash, or it won't work in some search engines. Espacenet shows about 1260 since 1865, and Patentscope shows about 1010 since 1903.
In Spain, in over a century, only about 32 patents on magic-related topics have been granted.
So, in magic, very little gets patented.
This is an excerpt from what I posted in that conversation. I hope it helps.
I don't think it's wrong to patent something if you've invented it, but in the world of magic, considering the potential clientele and the amount of money that can be made, it's very complicated. You have to patent it before you know if your product will bear fruit…
@cdiaz:
Well @cdiaz, what he's actually registered is literally JACK SQUAT, and I'll explain.
Those patents are nothing at all; he hasn't registered any magic effect or trick in any of them (because he knows he can't), and he tries to register what he can, like packaging and little else.
The problem with the patents he does have pending (AND THEY'LL NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS BE GRANTED) are the ones he has regarding his flying ring (Ring Flight), which is a blatant rip-off, because he talks about copyrights, yet he's infringed them himself by copying something that Steve Sheridan (Rinky Dinky) released 20 years ago.
From now on (for me), the name Mesika means scammer, and I hope every bad thing possible happens to him for the rest of his life, because of his egotism.
People like him have no place on this planet.
Oof, uncomfortable truths........ 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂.
Patent Bully and Troll.
I love it!!!!!
Hey zeta. As Dai Vernon once said, are you in this for money or for magic? In your case, it's pretty clear. By the way, Yigal posted a video responding, but he's since taken it down. There must be a reason for that.
As always, you never fail to impress, and I couldn't agree more. To me, he's nothing more than a magic mercenary, just my personal opinion.
Here's the video where Yigal responds. It landed in my inbox, which surprised me – and judging by the comments, I'm not the only one. It's in English, and I can't seem to get Spanish subtitles to work. If anyone figures out how, let me know!
😂 😂 😂
Blah, blah, blah..., I'm the best
Blah, blah, blah..., They steal my ideas
Blah, blah, blah..., I'm the best
Blah, blah, blah..., I invented that
Blah, blah, blah..., I'm the best
Blah, blah, blah..., I collect patents
Blah, blah, blah..., I'm the best
Blah, blah, blah..., I ran out of toilet paper
Blah, blah, blah..., I'm the best
Blah, blah, blah..., Everyone lies but me
Blah, blah, blah..., I'm the best
Blah, blah, blah..., Guess who I voted for?
Blah, blah, blah..., I'm the best
Blah, blah, blah..., I'm the best
Blah, blah, blah..., I'm the best
And that's how it went the whole video. Insufferable.
He managed to do what I didn't think was possible: make me hate him even more.
And believe me, I genuinely wanted to watch the video to hear his arguments, something new that would change everything.
The summary is: "I'm good, everyone else is bad and they won't be controlled."