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Are cookbook recipes copyrighted?
A cookbook can be protected under copyright law as a compilation if the selection, arrangement, and coordination of the included recipes is creative. The copyright for a compilation does not cover the individual works included in the compilation, such as the individual recipes within the cookbook.
How much do you have to change a recipe to call it your own?
Here in the food writing world, many of us follow an informal standard that you need to make at least three changes before you can claim credit for a recipe. Those changes need to be more substantial than changing 1/2 teaspoon salt to 1/4 teaspoon, although the changes don’t have to just be in the ingredients.
Can I share recipes from a book?
While it’s true that recipes are meant to be shared, people do so in cookbooks and on the internet to share them with their readers. It’s not okay to copy a recipe word-for-word and publish it in a book, newspaper, or online, on a website or blog.
What counts as an original recipe?
A recipe becomes yours when you write it out in your own words, threading it with details that reflect your personal experience with it and your conviction that what you’re presenting are all the right ingredients, as well as the best way to combine them.
Can I use someone else’s recipe in my book?
As the US Copyright office states: “Mere listings of ingredients as in recipes, formulas, compounds, or prescriptions are not subject to copyright protection. While it’s true that recipes are meant to be shared, people do so in cookbooks and on the internet to share them with their readers.
What is plagiarism when writing a book?
What is Plagiarism? Plagiarism is “the act of taking someone else’s work and passing it off as one’s own.” Plagiarism goes beyond copying and pasting someone else’s work to call it your own. Claiming someone else’s ideas as your own — whether you used the exact language or not — can also qualify as plagiarism.