I have a brilliant Indian Hot Chilli Chicken recipe but it is in a book. Don't know if I can put it on here due to copyright. Please let me know then if possible I will do it.

Hello Caroline

All books and most website contents are covered by copy-right laws, you can not/should not copy their contents, unless you have written permission from the original author.

As I understand it, if you make substantial changes to it to suit your requirements, including ingredients and methodology, the law may not apply. I am not 100% sure about it.

In practice, it is difficult to follow though. I have been sent my recipes by readers of my site, who have seen them copied and reproduced word for word, except the authors name (!), on other sites, without any acknowledgement.

Also, there are old dishes, recipes handed down from generation to generation, how can they belong to any of us, we have just penned them down!

However, I have to decline your 'recipe from a book' offer, but thank you for writing to me about it.

Mamta

Take a look here;

http://www.ipwatchdog.com/copyright/the-law-of-recipes/

Quite understand - that is why I asked before posting. I can't really change the recipe as it is made with a paste recipe in the book which is the basis for the sauce.

I will give you the name of the book in case anyone should see it anywhere.

The Ultimate Low Fat Indian Cookbook by Shehzad Husain and Manisha Kanani - both work in London but the book was printed in China - the price on it $19.99 and I bought it in India for 700rps (?10 ish) I have 3 copies of it - one in each place I live and this time when I come back from India I have to bring 5 copies as it is for sale on Amazon for almost ?50!!!

A book worth having in anyones collection

I often wonder how copyright works with recipes !

When you think about it, suppose I wrote a book and copyrighted the recipes, surely some of them would be my mother or fathers recipes past on to me, probably from grandma and so on... So really how would a recipe be copyrighted ?

If I make "chicken ding" (made up recipe so not to confuse any issues) and copyright it in written form but actually its made by thousands of other people in may area in a very similar way what gives me the right to put my stamp down and say its mine ?

Even if I made something up at random... Chicken pieces coated with sugar/honey, chilli, celery salt, black pepper, paprika and garlic then roasted in the oven and copyright it.. who is to say that I'm the only person in billions of people around the World that does almost the very same recipe ?

(I don't deny copyright law exists, I'd just like to understand how it applies techinically to the World of Cuisine ?)

Steve (been away on holiday, so not been posting much)

As the law stands at the moment, only the method is subjected to copyright law, not the list of ingredients (very logical if one thinks about it). The method is really 'this is what I did' and written by the cook/chef/author in their own way/words/style. It is most usually an historical account, that is, 'this is the way I cooked it' so it is not the only way it can be cooked, OR told in the only way possible. Because it is a personal thing, the way it is told/written is unique, and therefore can be (is) copyright protected. This is like two people telling their own account of the same story, each has their own way of telling it, although the 'facts' (like our ingredients) are the same.

It is allowed to 'quote' from a recipe if not extensive, but permission is should be sought, and often given. Another forum was nearly banned for quoting someone else's recipes, although unknown to the forum owners, so beware.

My suggeston is that, if you want to bring a recipe to the attention of the forum, but don't own the copyright (ie, it isn't your own recipe) then quote the ingredients, and tell us what you did with them. Then everyone will be happy. ;?)

Lapis, that does seem logical !

Steve