# Copying Recipes?



## CatPat

May I copy and paste a recipe to a Notepad if I ask permission to have it before doing so?

Your friend,
~Cat


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## Oldvine

I can only say that I do  it all the time.  Since I'm not stealing them to create a cook book I consider it simply sharing which I feel in the whole concept of the discussions.


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## Andy M.

You can copy any recipes on this site anytime without asking permission.  Those who post recipes here expect them to be copied.


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## CatPat

Thank you! I was not sure of this, and I did not wish to offend anyone by taking away something that is not mine.

Your friend,
~Cat


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## Andy M.

CatPat said:


> Thank you! I was not sure of this, and I did not wish to offend anyone by taking away something that is not mine.
> 
> Your friend,
> ~Cat



You can copy recipes that are here.

You can ask for a recipe for a specific dish you want to make and copy that.

You can post recipes of yours and other members may copy them.


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## CatPat

Of course I had hopes of the members taking my recipes I put here. I am glad to know I can have some of the others' recipes.

Oh, I see it is the same. Foolish me!

Thank you!

Your friend,
~Cat


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## FrankZ

You may use any recipe here, you may even store a copy for personal use.  You may not take any content from here and post it elsewhere.


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## CatPat

I cannot? Oh no! I have done this. I found an old Dell laptop that I am making to be for a kitchen computer. It is too old and too slow for use online. I have put three recipes on my jump drive and posted these over to that computer.

I shall take those away immediately. I am sorry! 

Your friend,
~Cat


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## Andy M.

CatPat said:


> I cannot? Oh no! I have done this. I found an old Dell laptop that I am making to be for a kitchen computer. It is too old and too slow for use online. I have put three recipes on my jump drive and posted these over to that computer.
> 
> I shall take those away immediately. I am sorry!
> 
> Your friend,
> ~Cat



What Frank meant is that you may not post them elsewhere on another internet website.


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## CatPat

Oh to another website as this? Who would ever do this? I am a journalism major in my college and that is called plagiarism. 

No, this is an old Dell laptop I found in a yard sale. I am sorry, I misunderstood this. It only has the Windows 95 and it is not for online usage. 

I took away those recipes. May I put them back? If it is not, I understand.

Thank you!

Your friend,
~Cat


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## GotGarlic

CatPat said:


> Oh to another website as this? Who would ever do this? I am a journalism major in my college and that is called plagiarism.
> 
> No, this is an old Dell laptop I found in a yard sale. I am sorry, I misunderstood this. It only has the Windows 95 and it is not for online usage.
> 
> I took away those recipes. May I put them back? If it is not, I understand.
> 
> Thank you!
> 
> Your friend,
> ~Cat



Yes, Cat, you can put them back. It's not acceptable to repost recipes as if they were your own, as you know, but you can copy them to other media for your personal use.


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## pacanis

GotGarlic said:


> Yes, Cat, you can put them back. *It's not acceptable to repost recipes as if they were your own,* as you know, but you can copy them to other media for your personal use.


 
You can if you include the link where you got it from, can't you?
Not that a forum would want a link to another forum on their pages, but it seems like you could c&p a recipe to another site if you included the link.


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## CatPat

Thank you! I only put these to this old computer. I am organizing the recipes of DA and Mamma to this. 
I found this at a yard sale for $20.00. I cleaned up of it and I am using it for the kitchen. I do not have many recipes of my own. Maybe one day I shall have some of my own! Then I can be sharing of them.

Thank you!

Your friend,
~Cat


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## GotGarlic

pacanis said:


> You can if you include the link where you got it from, can't you?
> Not that a forum would want a link to another forum on their pages, but it seems like you could c&p a recipe to another site if you included the link.



Yes. I meant that people can't post someone else's recipe in such a way that it appears to be their own.


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## pacanis

Thanks, GG. That's what I thought.
I was on a forum before where someone won a contest (with a prize no less) copying and pasting a celebrity chef's recipes as if they were her own. Not right in my book.


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## CatPat

Maybe I should not put recipes to an old computer. This sounds bad.

Your friend,
~Cat


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## Andy M.

CatPat said:


> Maybe I should not put recipes to an old computer. This sounds bad.
> 
> Your friend,
> ~Cat



It's OK to do that.  I do it and so do most members here.  If I find a recipe on a website, I copy it to my computer so I will always have it.  This also allows me to make changes to the recipe too.

Copy any recipes you want to your computers.  Use then, change them.


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## CatPat

I see. 

Your friend,
~Cat


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## TATTRAT

CatPat said:


> Oh to another website as this? Who would ever do this?



you would be surprised. . . a LOT of copycat sites content are based solely on blatant copy/pasting, with NO credit to the OP or host of the content. Happens more and more every month.


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## Zereh

FrankZ said:


> You may use any recipe here, you may even store a copy for personal use.  You may not take any content from here and post it elsewhere.



This site does not "own" any of the content posted by users. =) And permission from the author is all it takes to re-post a recipe or idea elsewhere. The truly original content posted here is practically nil.


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## FrankZ

pacanis said:


> You can if you include the link where you got it from, can't you?
> Not that a forum would want a link to another forum on their pages, but it seems like you could c&p a recipe to another site if you included the link.




Copyright allows for fair use.  Copying an entire copyrighted piece and then attributing is not fair use.

Note that the method of recipes are the copyrighted bit.


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## FrankZ

Zereh said:


> This site does not "own" any of the content posted by users. =) And permission from the author is all it takes to re-post a recipe or idea elsewhere. The truly original content posted here is practically nil.




Post creators retain ownership of posts and may repost their own content.  

We actually have far more than "nil" original content posted here.  It just may not be in a form you are thinking.  You post is original, as is this one.

Yes, there are people who would lift these posts and post them elsewhere.  We have had to do take down notices for theft of content in the past.


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## pacanis

I've even seen dog kennels posting pics of other kennels' dogs and calling them their own. The Internet is a crazy place.


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## jennyema

pacanis said:


> You can if you include the link where you got it from, can't you?
> Not that a forum would want a link to another forum on their pages, but it seems like you could c&p a recipe to another site if you included the link.



If they are copyright protected you can only post a link, not the text.

Posting the actual text of copyrighted material without permission is a violation, with or without a link or attribution.  Absent a fair use exception.


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## CatPat

I just thought of this. Should I list the recipes I am taking to the moderators so that they shall know of my use of these?

Your friend,
~Cat


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## PrincessFiona60

No, Cat.  You don't have to do that.  We trust that you are not using them for making money, but just for good eating.  That's why we share recipes, so others can try them.


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## CatPat

Thank you! I would not know of how to do that to make money. I wish to make good food! 

Maybe one day I shall write a recipe book with recipes I have invented if I ever become a very good cook!

Your friend,
~Cat


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## taxlady

pacanis said:


> I've even seen dog kennels posting pics of other kennels' dogs and calling them their own. The Internet is a crazy place.


A friend of mine found a photo of himself that someone was using as a profile pic on a dating site. He got it taken down.


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## CatPat

Oh no!

I have put some pictures on this website. Must I prove these are mine?

Your friend,
~Cat


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## PrincessFiona60

No Cat!  Those are your photos.


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## CatPat

Thank you! That did bother me a bit.

Your friend,
~Cat


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## Mad Cook

GotGarlic said:


> Yes. I meant that people can't post someone else's recipe in such a way that it appears to be their own.


If a recipe originated as someone else's but you have developed it to such an extent that it now is unrecognisable as the original, is it OK to post it as your own?


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## Addie

Mad Cook said:


> If a recipe originated as someone else's but you have developed it to such an extent that it now is unrecognisable as the original, is it OK to post it as your own?



I would say "yes." But makes a note of reference to the original recipe and where you got it from. Let the reader know what is so different from the original one. It will show that you are willing to experiment. Also that you are willing to share the spotlight with the original writer of the recipe. 

A list of ingredients are not copyrighted. It is in the directions that gets hairy. That part is protected. If you add or delete an ingredient, then you are now beginning to make it your own. If you change the method of cooking or putting together that dish, now it has become your own. And you should change the wording in the rest of the original directions of the recipe by more than half to be on the safe side.


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## Mad Cook

I suspect that if you posted a recipe for, say, a Victoria sandwich or a pound cake with your own take on filling and frosting, the recipe for the Victoria sandwich or the pound cake part of the finished thing is so universal that no-one remembers who invented it so you wouldn't be likely to end up with a string of cookery writers lining up to sue you for improper use of "their" cake recipe.


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## Mad Cook

Addie said:


> I would say "yes." But makes a note of reference to the original recipe and where you got it from. Let the reader know what is so different from the original one. It will show that you are willing to experiment. Also that you are willing to share the spotlight with the original writer of the recipe.
> 
> A list of ingredients are not copyrighted. It is in the directions that gets hairy. That part is protected. If you add or delete an ingredient, then you are now beginning to make it your own. If you change the method of cooking or putting together that dish, now it has become your own. And you should change the wording in the rest of the original directions of the recipe by more than half to be on the safe side.


Thanks Addie. That makes the situation very clear, I think.


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## PrincessFiona60

DC is governed by US copyright law and being we live in such a litigious society, it's best to err on the side of caution.


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## Andy M.

When a recipe is copyrighted, the copyright covers the preparation/cooking instructions, not the ingredients list.  So changing the ingredients and not the directions does not make the recipe your own.  It's necessary to make a "significant" change to the directions to avoid copyright issues.

Acknowledging the originator of a recipe when you post it does not make it OK.  It's nothing more than an admission of guilt on your part.  You knowingly posted someone else's property.  Makes the law suit much easier to prosecute.

The solution is to post a link to the website that has the recipe and make reference to it in your post.  

If you copy a recipe for your own use, that's not a problem.  Just don't post it online later as your own work.


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## CatPat

Oh no! I posted a recipe but just told it was of the Bisquick website! I need to go and get the original, yes?

Your friend,
~Cat


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## Greg Who Cooks

pacanis said:


> You can if you include the link where you got it from, can't you?
> Not that a forum would want a link to another forum on their pages, but it seems like you could c&p a recipe to another site if you included the link.



No you cannot, although you can always post a link. I'm on my iPad where I have limited resources or otherwise I'd post a link to the US Copyright Office site that explains that citing the IP owner does not excuse copying the whole work. 

On a related subject, just FYI, a list of ingredients cannot be copyrighted. Only the "method" (directions) are subject to copyright. (Also discussed on the USCO site.) put a recipe in your own words which are substantially different and it's your recipe, your copyright. (I sometimes do that, and cite the original source, not for legal reasons but rather as a nod or act of respect.

But anybody can legally make notes for their own use without limit as long as they do not share them with the public or otherwise redistribute the notes.


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## Greg Who Cooks

GotGarlic said:


> Yes. I meant that people can't post someone else's recipe in such a way that it appears to be their own.




People cannot publish someone else's recipe, period. This applies even to unpublished works. I can cite USCO links tomorrow if anybody doubts this.


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## Greg Who Cooks

TATTRAT said:


> you would be surprised. . . a LOT of copycat sites content are based solely on blatant copy/pasting, with NO credit to the OP or host of the content. Happens more and more every month.



Credit has nothing to do with it, and is no legal excuse that makes quoting a whole work legal.


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## Greg Who Cooks

Zereh said:


> This site does not "own" any of the content posted by users. =) And permission from the author is all it takes to re-post a recipe or idea elsewhere. The truly original content posted here is practically nil.



The site claims copyright (at the bottom of every page) but in fact the only copyright the site has is the assemblage and organization of topics. Original posts are still the intellectual property of the persons who posted them, although posting them here in the forum implies permission for the forum to share them with the public. Permission for use.


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## Greg Who Cooks

PrincessFiona60 said:


> No, Cat.  You don't have to do that.  We trust that you are not using them for making money, but just for good eating.  That's why we share recipes, so others can try them.



That would be an interesting legal argument. I submit that a restauranteur can use copyrighted recipes for profit as long as they make no reference to the copyrighted work. This is analogous to putting the directions in your own words. 

The copyright applies to the words in the description. The use of a recipe cannot be copyrighted.

Do not confuse copyrighting with patents. I am well acquainted with copyright law because I am a published author, but I know virtually nothing about patent law.


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## Greg Who Cooks

CatPat said:


> Oh no!
> 
> I have put some pictures on this website. Must I prove these are mine?
> 
> Your friend,
> ~Cat


No, somebody else would have to prove that they are not, and would have to have legal standing (would have to be the copyright owner or their legal representative.)


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## Greg Who Cooks

CatPat said:


> Oh no!
> 
> I have put some pictures on this website. Must I prove these are mine?
> 
> Your friend,
> ~Cat


I'm presuming the photos came from your camera. You cannot legally use photos or images you did not create, except with permission from the IP creator.

If you took the photos yourself, then no problem. In fact in that case YOU are the copyright owner.


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## Greg Who Cooks

Mad Cook said:


> If a recipe originated as someone else's but you have developed it to such an extent that it now is unrecognisable as the original, is it OK to post it as your own?



Yes, although in my case I always give a tip of the hat to the. Person who inspired me, for ethical reasons, and out of respect.

In fact every recipe on my website has both a credit notice (either it is my own creation, or who inspired it, even if that was my mom) and every page has a copyright notice. 

Note again, USCO does not require a copyright notice, but it's a good idea..


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## Greg Who Cooks

PrincessFiona60 said:


> DC is governed by US copyright law and being we live in such a litigious society, it's best to err on the side of caution.



Every forum with a brain does the same. Except in Russia. They do not recognize US copyright law. Interesting but true.


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## Greg Who Cooks

Andy M. said:


> When a recipe is copyrighted, the copyright covers the preparation/cooking instructions, not the ingredients list.  So changing the ingredients and not the directions does not make the recipe your own.  It's necessary to make a "significant" change to the directions to avoid copyright issues.
> 
> Acknowledging the originator of a recipe when you post it does not make it OK.  It's nothing more than an admission of guilt on your part.  You knowingly posted someone else's property.  Makes the law suit much easier to prosecute.
> 
> The solution is to post a link to the website that has the recipe and make reference to it in your post.
> 
> If you copy a recipe for your own use, that's not a problem.  Just don't post it online later as your own work.



Quite!!!


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## Greg Who Cooks

CatPat said:


> Oh no! I !posted a recipe but just told it was of the Bisquick website! I need to go and get the original, yes?
> 
> Your friend,
> ~Cat



Technically a problem, but in real life not a problem as long as Bisquick is an ingredient and you mentioned them a few times. And don't forget to capitalize their name!!!

In real life they call your post a commercial! )


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## PrincessFiona60

Greg Who Cooks said:


> That would be an interesting legal argument. I submit that a restauranteur can use copyrighted recipes for profit as long as they make no reference to the copyrighted work. This is analogous to putting the directions in your own words.
> 
> The copyright applies to the words in the description. The use of a recipe cannot be copyrighted.
> 
> Do not confuse copyrighting with patents. I am well acquainted with copyright law because I am a published author, but I know virtually nothing about patent law.



I am not confused, I understand copyright law perfectly as I, too, am a published author.  I'm attempting to explain a concept to a person whose first language is not English without being pedantic.


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## pacanis

Why is it one can post a picture from another site, for instance frank's knife picture in his tailgating thread, and not make mention of where it is originally from, but you cannot post the written word including the link where you found it?
That just doesn't make sense.


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## GotGarlic

pacanis said:


> Why is it one can post a picture from another site, for instance frank's knife picture in his tailgating thread, and not make mention of where it is originally from, but you cannot post the written word including the link where you found it?
> That just doesn't make sense.



When you take a photo, just like when you write something, you automatically hold the copyright to that image. So it is a copyright violation to post a picture from any source, unless you took it or have permission from the copyright holder. People often think that because something is on the Internet, that makes it public domain and available for any use, but that's not so.


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## pacanis

GotGarlic said:


> When you take a photo, just like when you write something, you automatically hold the copyright to that image. So it is a copyright violation to post a picture from any source, unless you took it or have permission from the copyright holder. People often think that because something is on the Internet, that makes it public domain and available for any use, but that's not so.


 
So you're saying posting a pic from another source is every bit as illegal as posting a recipe or quoting information. That's what I thought. Looks like the mods would have to remove half the pictures posted here showing a wok from Amazon or the knife with the funky fruit I mentioned 
I'm in the section that thinks that if it's on the Internet it's there for the taking as long as the source is linked, be it picture or word. Like a footnote. It's just common sense. And after all you are linking it back to the source, so there is recognition.

I doubt very many original owners are pursuing this though.


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## taxlady

pacanis said:


> So you're saying posting a pic from another source is every bit as illegal as posting a recipe or quoting information. That's what I thought. Looks like the mods would have to remove half the pictures posted here showing a wok from Amazon or the knife with the funky fruit I mentioned
> I'm in the section that thinks that if it's on the Internet it's there for the taking as long as the source is linked, be it picture or word. Like a footnote. It's just common sense. And after all you are linking it back to the source, so there is recognition.
> 
> I doubt very many original owners are pursuing this though.


A lot of the pix are actually links to the photo.


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## Mad Cook

Greg Who Cooks said:


> People cannot publish someone else's recipe, period. This applies even to unpublished works. I can cite USCO links tomorrow if anybody doubts this.


Just nit-picking here but if I quoted a recipe from Joe Bloggs' latest book, for sweet and sour earthworms with lime vinaigrette, wouldn't JB have to prove beyond doubt that it was his invention in the first place in order to bring a copyright case? Many recipes have their origins lost in the mists of time and many recipe methods involve well-known cooking techniques.

I've mentioned the activities of a certain lady cookery writer whose middle name should be "Plagiarise", elsewhere on DC, and I have seen several British and American chefs on television and in print, claiming to have invented the method of cooking a whole salmon to serve cold which has passed down our family from my Great Grandmother, who was born in the 1860s, and which first appeared in print in the 1700s. The first case doesn't seem to bother anyone and in the second case both Meg Dodds, who wrote the 18thC book, and my GGM are not in a position to sue.


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## Andy M.

Mad Cook said:


> Just nit-picking here but if I quoted a recipe from Joe Bloggs' latest book, for sweet and sour earthworms with lime vinaigrette, wouldn't JB have to prove beyond doubt that it was his invention in the first place in order to bring a copyright case? Many recipes have their origins lost in the mists of time and many recipe methods involve well-known cooking techniques...



If it's published in a book, it's copyrighted.  The author can sue you for publishing without permission.  If it's not his original work, it's up to the real owner of the recipe to deal with the author and prove it's plagiarized.  They that person can come after you.

Most copyrighted recipes employ well-known cooking techniques.  It's not the technique that's copyrighted, it's how the author employs it with the ingredients he empoys.


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## GotGarlic

And, in U.S. copyright law, the copyright expires after a certain number of years, depending on when a work was originally created (the number of years has changed over time). After x number of years, it is deemed to be in the public domain. It would be useful to review Steve's link to the U.S. Copyright Office for the details.


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## PrincessFiona60

GotGarlic said:


> And, in U.S. copyright law, the copyright expires after a certain number of years, depending on when a work was originally created (the number of years has changed over time). After x number of years, it is deemed to be in the public domain. It would be useful to review Steve's link to the U.S. Copyright Office for the details.



Novels remain copywrited for x numbers of years after the author has died with monies going to their estate.  Executors of the estate can also renew the copywrite for another number of years or buy the rights to the canon of work.  It's been thirteen years since I was embroiled in this aspect, so the number of years may have changed.


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## GotGarlic

GotGarlic said:


> And, in U.S. copyright law, the copyright expires after a certain number of years, depending on when a work was originally created (the number of years has changed over time). After x number of years, it is deemed to be in the public domain. It would be useful to review Steve's link to the U.S. Copyright Office for the details.



Oops, I misremembered. Greg was talking about copyright, not Steve, and he didn't post a link to the U.S. Copyright Office. So here's a link to the FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about Copyright


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## Addie

I have two booklets that I have had for years. The first one is *Better Homes and Gardens* _Our Own Favorite RECIPES_. It was published in 1978. In the intro it states: "cheese blintzes direct from the family kitchen in Brooklyn, where they have been served for forty years without the recipe's ever having been consigned to paper. There are other recipes from the kitchens of farms in Maine. 

The second booklet is from *The Old Farmers' Almanac* and is called _Colonial Cookbook._ This was published in 1982. It states in several of the recipes that the recipe came from the Wampanoag Indian Tribe and a lot of them came over with the Pilgrims. One of the recipes in this booklet is called "Molasses Pie." When you read it, it is now called Pecan Pie. The only difference is this recipe used molasses and today's Pecan Pie uses Dark Karo Syrup. The directions for cooking Moose are hilarious. But I can't share it with you because it is now copyrighted. And the same for the BHG recipes. What I don't understand is some of these recipes are a couple of hundred years old. And some of them came from a tribe that at the time didn't have a written word. 

How about some stuffed calves ears? The ears are from a moose calf. How do you copyright wild veggies such as Jack In The Pulpit, wild carrots, onions, etc.? The recipe tells you to dig these up, but be careful as the wild carrots and The Pulpit have poisonous parts. There are also recipes written in the Olde English with the "f" as an "s". Makes for difficult reading.

I don't understand how recipes that have never been written down and come from the inside of someone's head can be copyrighted.


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## taxlady

Mad Cook said:


> ...
> I've mentioned the activities of a certain lady cookery writer whose middle name should be "Plagiarise", elsewhere on DC, and I have seen several British and American chefs on television and in print, claiming to have invented the method of cooking a whole salmon to serve cold which has passed down our family from my Great Grandmother, who was born in the 1860s, and which first appeared in print in the 1700s. The first case doesn't seem to bother anyone and in the second case both Meg Dodds, who wrote the 18thC book, and my GGM are not in a position to sue.


As others have mentioned, US copyright expires, so that book is in the public domain. Those chefs may have come up with the method on their own and not be aware of the previous book. However, if they knew it would be lying.


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## taxlady

The recipes may be hundreds of years old, but the way the instructions are written isn't. That's the part that is copyrighted, along with the descriptions.


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## jennyema

Greg Who Cooks said:


> Credit has nothing to do with it, and is no legal excuse that makes quoting a whole work legal.



Credit is usually an admission of guilt!


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## taxlady

jennyema said:


> Only if its protected by a copyright.  If not its fair game.


As soon as you put pen to paper, so to speak, it is copyright. It doesn't have to be registered to be copyright.


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## jennyema

taxlady said:


> As soon as you put pen to paper, so to speak, it is copyright. It doesn't have to be registered to be copyright.



Yes, you are right.  

I am going to delete my post to avoid confusion!


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## jennyema

Addie said:


> I don't understand how recipes that have never been written down and come from the inside of someone's head can be copyrighted.




It has to be fixed in a tangible form to be copyrighted.


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## Greg Who Cooks

PrincessFiona60 said:


> I am not confused, I understand copyright law perfectly as I, too, am a published author.  I'm attempting to explain a concept to a person whose first language is not English without being pedantic.



My comments were not addressed to you.


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## Greg Who Cooks

pacanis said:


> So you're saying posting a pic from another source is every bit as illegal as posting a recipe or quoting information. That's what I thought. Looks like the mods would have to remove half the pictures posted here showing a wok from Amazon or the knife with the funky fruit I mentioned
> I'm in the section that thinks that if it's on the Internet it's there for the taking as long as the source is linked, be it picture or word. Like a footnote. It's just common sense. And after all you are linking it back to the source, so there is recognition.
> 
> I doubt very many original owners are pursuing this though.



It depends on the situation and common sense. If I post a picture of a knife that I like and a link to amazon where I bought it, they're not going to mind.

Anyway, perhaps not a good example legalistically, because my example is a review quoting part of the "work" (their website), so my example is legally permitted, fair use.


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## Greg Who Cooks

Mad Cook said:


> Just nit-picking here but if I quoted a recipe from Joe Bloggs' latest book, for sweet and sour earthworms with lime vinaigrette, wouldn't JB have to prove beyond doubt that it was his invention in the first place in order to bring a copyright case? Many recipes have their origins lost in the mists of time and many recipe methods involve well-known cooking techniques.
> 
> I've mentioned the activities of a certain lady cookery writer whose middle name should be "Plagiarise", elsewhere on DC, and I have seen several British and American chefs on television and in print, claiming to have invented the method of cooking a whole salmon to serve cold which has passed down our family from my Great Grandmother, who was born in the 1860s, and which first appeared in print in the 1700s. The first case doesn't seem to bother anyone and in the second case both Meg Dodds, who wrote the 18thC book, and my GGM are not in a position to sue.



If you copied his words you violated his copyright. It's the words that are copyrighted, not the recipe.

Anybody can claim they invented something. It' up to the audience to believe it or not. BTW, did I mention I invented the original recipe for buttermilk pancakes?


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## Greg Who Cooks

Andy M. said:


> Most copyrighted recipes employ well-known cooking techniques.  It's not the technique that's copyrighted, it's how the author employs it with the ingredients he empoys.



Not so! It's only the words that are copyrighted. How the author employs is not copyrighted.


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## Greg Who Cooks

Addie said:


> I have two booklets that I have had for years. The first one is *Better Homes and Gardens* _Our Own Favorite RECIPES_. It was published in 1978. In the intro it states: "cheese blintzes direct from the family kitchen in Brooklyn, where they have been served for forty years without the recipe's ever having been consigned to paper. There are other recipes from the kitchens of farms in Maine.
> 
> The second booklet is from *The Old Farmers' Almanac* and is called _Colonial Cookbook._ This was published in 1982. It states in several of the recipes that the recipe came from the Wampanoag Indian Tribe and a lot of them came over with the Pilgrims. One of the recipes in this booklet is called "Molasses Pie." When you read it, it is now called Pecan Pie. The only difference is this recipe used molasses and today's Pecan Pie uses Dark Karo Syrup. The directions for cooking Moose are hilarious. But I can't share it with you because it is now copyrighted. And the same for the BHG recipes. What I don't understand is some of these recipes are a couple of hundred years old. And some of them came from a tribe that at the time didn't have a written word.
> 
> How about some stuffed calves ears? The ears are from a moose calf. How do you copyright wild veggies such as Jack In The Pulpit, wild carrots, onions, etc.? The recipe tells you to dig these up, but be careful as the wild carrots and The Pulpit have poisonous parts. There are also recipes written in the Olde English with the "f" as an "s". Makes for difficult reading.
> 
> I don't understand how recipes that have never been written down and come from the inside of someone's head can be copyrighted.



It is the act of writing it down that creates the copyright. The writer is the copyright owner.


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## Greg Who Cooks

jennyema said:


> It has to be fixed in a tangible form to be copyrighted.



Yep. Fixed = writing it down.


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## PrincessFiona60

Greg Who Cooks said:


> My comments were not addressed to you.



My comment was in direct response to you after YOU quoted my previous post, of course you were addressing me.


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## FrankZ

This one is done folks.


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