This copyright thing

[GB]

Is it really that much more complicated? Wow. I still struggle to understand the basics, let alone what may lie beneath the surface of copyright law.

Yep it really is that complicated. That is why they have lawyers who specialize in this exact thing. There really is a lot to it. thankfully some things are very cut and dry. For instance, if you post a link to a recipe then you have not broken any laws. There is no gray area there.

The tricky part is when it comes to re-wording a recipe so that it does not break any laws. The only way to know if you have reworded it enough it to get sued and go before a judge and jury. Once they give you the verdict then you will know if you re-worded it enough. Before that, you won't know.

 

[FraidKnot]

The more the word "attribution" is used the more confusing it gets. If you CHANGE a recipe but wish to say WHO or WHERE you got the original recipe from that is at least ethical and the proper thing to do. If you post the original recipe stating WHO or WHERE you got it from that is ADMITTING to a copyright violation.

To throw another twist into the mix, what if the creator of a recipe is dead? How do you get permission (or not) to pass along a recipe? I have no idea who someones' relatives might be. Don't even know if they were in the will or are legally entitled to royalties. The plot thickens...

 

[kitchenelf]

We could play "what if..." all day -

I would assume the publisher would hold the copyright on it then.

Let's not confuse this anymore than necessary! lol

The facts are stated above, we have our policies. We will be ahead of the game when the time comes.

 

[GB]

To throw another twist into the mix, what if the creator of a recipe is dead? How do you get permission (or not) to pass along a recipe? I have no idea who someones' relatives might be. Don't even know if they were in the will or are legally entitled to royalties. The plot thickens...

And that is just the point FraidKnot. That is why the staff here at DC have put countless hours into coming up with a copyright policy that will protect the site and it's users. Follow our policy and you will not go wrong.

 

[Gretchen]

Then just one more clarification. Newspapers don't count, right? You can copy from them directly?

 

[kitchenelf]

I know what you are getting at - and technically it should be pulled. So do you want to change it up with your wording?

 

[Michelemarie]

Wow! You guys do alot of work! Thank you so much! My head is swirling - I just plain don't get it - so let me ask a question in my layman terms - If I find a recipe in a magazine, cookbook or newspaper (which have good recipes, I might add) and I make it and want to share it - can I post it (as written-and it may or may not contain a variation from me) and say I got this recipe from Beacon News - is that okay? Or do I have to reword it and drop the "Beacon News" part. I would feel awful if I got DC in any kind of trouble!

 

[GB]

You would need to re-word it MM. Once you re-word it then it would be fine to post (as long as it is substantially re-worded) and you would even be able to say it came from the Beacon News.

 

[Michelemarie]

Thanks GB - I will keep that in mind for all future posts. One more question though, how do you reword the ingredients - or does that not matter?

 

[kitchenelf]

Ingredients don't matter. ONLY the method in which the recipe is cooked.

 

[Michelemarie]

Thanks Kitchenelf - for the answer and all the research and work you do!

 

[kitchenelf]

You are more than welcome!

 

[JMediger]

After reading this, if we know we have probly violated this by posting something incorrectly in the past, should we pm one of you to fix it or ... ?

 

[kitchenelf]

After reading this, if we know we have probly violated this by posting something incorrectly in the past, should we pm one of you to fix it or ... ?

If you can link it that is fine. All you have to do is hit the EDIT button, delete what needs to be deleted, and insert a link. If you are unsure of how to insert a link PM me and I will send you instructions.

If you can re-word the method to encompass YOUR ways of doing this (substantially changing the original wording) then feel free to do that. A link is preferred but if there is no link then re-wording the way YOU did it would be the best thing.

And yes, if you need help fixing it we will be glad to do it. Just PM me with what needs fixing. If you have anymore questions please feel free to PM me, GB, or any of us.

 

[JMediger]

Thank you ... I know that at least 2 of the recipes I have shared came from our church cookbook so there wouldn't be a link for it. Another I got from my MIL so I'll just reword to how I do it ... I'm sorry for not understanding this. Thank you to you and GB for taking the time to explain it so nicely to everyone.

 

[kitchenelf]

I think those two recipes will be fine. I don't think the church or your MIL hold a copyright really. You are thinking too hard about this. Think bigger. Think Food TV and anyone from Food TV who has a cookbook, Epicurious.com, things posted in newspapers, anything that is published and has a copyright notation on I think the backside of the title page usually. But it could be somewhere else.

I feel sure your recipes are fine. If you want to PM me the links to them I will take a look if you want me to.

 

[devora]

link me up...if necessary

OK, I was a good DC member and after reading this post I went back and changed a posted recipe to a link. Copyright is important and needs to be respected as much as possible!

Perhaps (as mentioned) folks could rewrite the instructions instead of links, however, for us poor unfortunates (albeit a small #) who do not have DSL. Every time I see a link I groan thinking, “Oh, goodness, is this gonna be worth the time waiting for that baby to load?” And we don’t have dial-up by choice. We are simply too far out in the countryside to get DSL. (Don't say satellite; too much dough!)

OK, a small issue. For things like that bread Gretchen threw our way I’d wait for a link to appear! (I haven’t even made it yet but dream of making a glorious mess doing so.)

 

[kitchenelf]

devora,

Thank you for understanding the importance of copyright laws/issues.

Please check your private messages.

 

[Gretchen]

OK, a small issue. For things like that bread Gretchen threw our way I’d wait for a link to appear! (I haven’t even made it yet but dream of making a glorious mess doing so.)

You can't link that recipe. They charge for it after the first week.
It is printed/quoted all over the internet.

 

[GB]

You can't link that recipe. They charge for it after the first week.
It is printed/quoted all over the internet.

Actually you can link to it. It was posted on the NY Times on Nov 8th. Today is Nov 21 and it is still up and free.