Written by Vegetarian Star on Tuesday, April 27th, 2010 in Authors, Books, Food & Drink.
Missy Chase Lapine Jerry Seinfeld. Photo: New York Daily News
The saga continues in the case of The Sneaky Chef author Missy Chase Lapine and Jerry Seinfeld, the New York Daily News reports.
Lapine sued Seinfeld’s wife, Jessica Seinfeld, accusing her of plagiarism, saying Seinfeld’s book, Deceptively Delicious, also about incorporating vegetables in meals that taste good, was a rip off.
After a federal judge said, “No,” Lapine took the case to a Second Circuit Court of Appeal, and argued that a jury should decide if pureed carrots are unique.
The Appellate court has yet to issue a ruling.
When it comes to cookbooks, plagiarism and copyright issues are shady, because recipes generally aren’t copyrightable (although it’s best to always say where you got it or developed it from).
The U.S. Copyright office has this to say about recipes:
“Mere listings of ingredients as in recipes, formulas, compounds, or prescriptions are not subject to copyright protection. However, when a recipe or formula is accompanied by substantial literary expression in the form of an explanation or directions, or when there is a combination of recipes, as in a cookbook, there may be a basis for copyright protection.”
Green beans, onions and carrots together as a dish probably isn’t copyrightable.
The song you wrote to put your kids in a trance to eat them that you printed along with the recipe in the cookbook probably is.
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