What is the copyright situation on recipes?

[byepolar]

What are the copyright quirks for recipes?

Can I take recipes from sites that list them as long as I give credit and a linkback to that site? However, how do I know they didn't just go around to other people's sites collecting them? Is there such a thing as public domain recipes?

Anyone got any ideas about the best way(s) to start adding recipes to my site (it's sole source of content).

[hannamyluv]

This thread may help a little if you havn't seen it already.

[webmasterworld.com...]

[byepolar]

No thanks, I haven't already seen it. That was really interesting about ingredient lists not being "copyright-able". I assume re-writing the preparation instructions would be ok. However, I'd feel kind of sheepish about asking a site whose recipes I rewrote to trade links with me.

[hannamyluv]

If you have permission to post the recipe, there would be no need to rewrite it. I think that you could ask for a link and the recipe at the same time.

[byepolar]

Do you think any of the sites would be interested in giving me dozens, perhaps 100's of their recipes, if I put a link back to their homepage on each recipe that I got from them?

[byepolar]

Geez, there's thousands of recipes posted by individuals over the years in newsgroups. It always has their e-mail address, however, many of them are failure deliveries.

Would my best option be to copy and paste the recipes directly? Many of them have generic titles and mundane directions.

Or, should I post to the newsgroup asking for people to post their favorite 'x' recipes? I'd probably get MUCH less than I need.

Or, should I e-mail every individual asking for permission and additional recipes if they have them.

[Larryhat]

Why not just edit the recipes? They are often much alike anyhow. Add some walnuts. If its Duck ala Orange, then forget the walnuts and scrape a little lemon zest into the sauce. Most recipes are altered versions of somebody else's recipe. I see no reason to copy them verbatim. -LH

[ControlEngineer]

My chicken recipe:

Place chicken parts, with bone and skin, in a baking pan coated with olive oil. Drip olive oil on the chicken parts, shake some basil, parsley, and thyme, and bake at 350F for 45 minutes.

This is my favorite recipe because it is easy, takes very little of my time (as well as my thyme) (I can read or participate in forums during the baking time. The aroma of the basil fills the house, enhancing my appetite. It is also very forgiving; it is very hard to over cook them.

<end of recipe>

The first paragraph is information and is not copyrightable. Just like saying 1+2=3, it is facts, not expression of facts.

The second paragraph is copyright protected. While you can report that a control engineer likes to bake chicken (that is Big News!) the exact expression belongs to me.

So use the recipe but use your own creativity in the comments.

[chrisnrae]

"However, I'd feel kind of sheepish about asking a site whose recipes I rewrote to trade links with me."

Every site has a baked chicken recipe, a lasagna recipe and so on. If you re-write them well, they would have no way of knowing it was originally "their" recipe - especially if they have thousands of recipes. In all likelihood, many of the sites you will exchange with have probably done some form of the same thing to certain recipes.