Do you have a family recipe you’d like to share with the community? The Southboro Library hopes you will.
A library is about to create a community cookbook. They issued a “Recipe Call”.
The Southborough Library is creating a community cookbook – we need your recipes. The recipes will be compiled into a cookbook and made available for library patrons to check.
Send your recipes by email or word doc to msorensen@southboroughma.com or place them on the bench in the front reading room by August 31st. Food photos are optional.
I think it’s no exaggeration to say that it shouldn’t be a recipe that you know you don’t have the right to. If the recipe is from a family member or friend, ask permission and give credit. Also, re-sharing of favorite recipes from cookbooks is prohibited. However, if you make enough changes and use your own representation, it becomes your own.
I found an article called taste of home It highlights:
According to the U.S. Copyright Office, the “description, explanation, illustration” accompanying the recipe is protected by law. In other words, you cannot copy and paste the recipe instructions and use them as your own. However, you can also use existing recipes as inspiration. All you have to do is make a few changes with your own imagination. Is there a recipe you liked enough to extend it? You might want to consider tweaking any of these areas before calling it your own.
Pro tip: Be sure to write the recipe instructions in your own words along with any other changes.
I’ve also read multiple online sources pointing to three changes as a rule of thumb. (It could be materials or techniques). Even so, it’s always a good idea to reference and give credit to the original recipe it was based on or inspired by.
The Library’s Community Cookbook Initiative is part of a series of ongoing food and nutrition programs made possible by grants from the Library Services and Technology Act distributed by the Massachusetts Library Board.