Copying Recipes?

[FrankZ]

Originally Posted by pacanis

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.

[FrankZ]

Originally Posted by Zereh

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.

[pacanis]

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

[jennyema]

Originally Posted by pacanis

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.

[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

[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.

[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

[taxlady]

Originally Posted by pacanis

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.

[CatPat]

Oh no!

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

Your friend,
~Cat

[PrincessFiona60]

No Cat! Those are your photos.

[CatPat]

Thank you! That did bother me a bit.

Your friend,
~Cat

[Mad Cook]

Originally Posted by GotGarlic

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?

[Addie]

Originally Posted by Mad Cook

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.

[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.

[Mad Cook]

Originally Posted by Addie

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.

[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.

[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.

[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

[Greg Who Cooks]

Originally Posted by pacanis

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.

[Greg Who Cooks]

Originally Posted by GotGarlic

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.