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Why You Can’t Copy a Recipe Book

Plagarism Today – “U.S. Copyright Law is extremely clear, copyright “Does not protect recipes that are mere listings of ingredients.” As such, your grandmother’s secret recipe for pumpkin pie joins the ranks of high fashion and phone books as things that can not be copyrighted. However, if you open up just about any cookbook that you can buy, you’ll notice copyright notices prominently displayed in all of the usual places. The reason isn’t because recipe books are lying to you, it’s because, while recipes can’t be copyright protected, other parts of the books can. So, as we celebrate the holidays in the United States, we’re going to take a look at cookbooks and why, even though recipes can’t be copyrighted, you can’t just photocopy and share a cookbook legally. We will also take a look at what cooks and bakers can do to better protect their creations, even if the recipes they develop don’t enjoy copyright protection…”

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