Recipe Copyright

Over on the Vegetarian Parents Yahoo Group, there are a few published cookbook authors who gave us some insight on recipe copyright infringement. The posting of recipes from cookbooks and other websites happens frequently in that group. Most people think nothing of it, especially since most of the posters state the origin of the recipe. However, one author decided to enlighten us. She even polled four other cookbook authors for their opinions.

3 of the 4 authors would like anyone posting their recipes to first get their permission and then put a link to either their website or their book on  Amazon.com. This is how they make their livings, creating and publishing recipes. Posting their recipes without their permission is the same as posting a chapter of a published book without the author's permission - very few people would think it acceptable to post a chapter of a published book.

One author said she didn't mind if people posted her recipes, as long as they give her the credit - she likes the free marketing.

The other important factor in recipe copyright is that the ingredients themselves are not copyrightable - only the way in which the author words the combing of the ingredients is copyrightable. Her or his flair for easy or even funny directions are all that are technically copyrightable.

So, I had to go back through the recipes I have posted here and tried to figure out if I changed the recipe directions enough that I was safe to post them. I think I have. There are only two that might be questionable and I took those off of my sidebar list, but left them on the blog in their original places.

From now on, I will only post recipes that I consider truly my own. I've been going through my binder of recipes and have pulled out a few that I will post in the next few days. And of course if I come across a published recipe that I really like, I will just post a link to the website or book instead of posting the recipe.