Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Culinary Complications

Seems my little blog has run into a snag. I received the following email today:

Hi Elizabeth--

It has come to our attention that you have posted several recipes from Cooking Light and other Time Inc. magazines (including Sunset) on your blog at http://elizabethsedibleexperience.blogspot.com/. These recipes are copyrighted by their respective magazines, and posting them without permission is illegal. All recipes from Cooking Light, Sunset, Southern Living, Coastal Living, Cottage Living, Health, and Real Simple are available online at myrecipes.com‹you may provide links to whatever recipes you would like on your blog, but you may not post the recipe text without express permission. As the person in charge of permissions for Cooking Light, I can tell you that we do not allow online posting of any of our recipes, only links to their pages on myrecipes.com.

We would like to ask that you please take down any recipes from the above magazines and replace them with links to myrecipes.com. Please e-mail or call me to confirm that you have done so.

Thank you,

Jason Horn

--

Jason Horn

Cooking Light Editorial Assistant

Birmingham, AL 35209

This is such a shame. This obviously is going to have a huge impact on my past blogging since so many of my recipes come from these magazines. All along I thought I was in the clear by crediting the magazine for the recipe - I guess that isn't enough :-(

But fear not faithful readers. I am currently deciding the best path forward.


19 comments:

Lauren said...

Oh no! :( I do this too... Keep us posted!

MaryBeth said...

That's too bad, can't wait to see what other avenues you take with your cooking. Good looking attorney!

Jen said...

Keep us posted. Most bloggers do this too...

Anonymous said...

No good deed ever goes unpunished. Here's what you do: post the damn recipes and do not give them credit. The burden of proof would now be on the Cooking Light police. How can they dispute how you cook any specfic dish if that just so happens to be the way you cook it? And what happens to the recipe when you adjust it to your own taste? As an alternative, find another magazine, preferably a competitor's.

What's Cookin Chicago said...

You're not alone and sometimes the food blogging world isn't so black and white in terms of what the proper protocol is for crediting and citing recipes. I'm guilty of it too and I'm sorry that they singled you out of a gazillion other blogs that are just as guilty. Keep us updated with what your attorney says!

#1SAHM said...

I'm so sorry that happened to you! I guess I have more blogs to fix (since I'm guilty of this too). : ( Keep us updated!

Anonymous said...

Those magazine companies are just jealous because you have more readers reading your blog than they do reading their magazines!! By the looks of your attorney I don't think you have anything to worry about!
Too bad it's not a fashion magazine... they wouldn't stand a chance!

Kayla said...

Um, what's the point of saying you have to get permission and then a minute later admitting we never give permission?

Anonymous said...

Soooooo many blogs do the same thing. I don't get it since you are giving credit to the mag.

Anonymous said...

Can I get your attorney's phone number?

FIGHT THE POWER!

- Ricky

Ellie said...

This seems so weird to me because it's like free promotion for their magazines - especially since you've been crediting them and whatnot. Sorry they singled you out. :-(

Anonymous said...

Wow, that sucks. I've been lurking her for awhile, and I would hate to see things change. Good Luck!!!

Jennifer

Woody said...

Can I donate money to help you fight this battle? I hope this works out for you because the house won’t be as entertaining without the blog. It is a source of great fun and stress (my stress as the action photographer and chef ingredients getter) in our house. I agree with Ricky, DAMN THE MAN SAVE THE EMPIRE!

Debbie said...

Wow....I had no idea about this. I thought if you gave credit that is all that was needed. Oh boy, here we go.

Anonymous said...

I've seen many bloggers who this has happened to.

In the end, this is just them trying to bully you. This isn't the first time it has happened, and certainly wont be the last.

Recipes cannot be copyrighted!

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with Gabriela- Post the recipes anyway and just change the name up, and don't give credit to their stupid asses. I've also been lurking here, though never commented, and find it ridiculous that this could happen. I also, living in Birmingham, want to drive to this asshole's office and throw a burrito at his window. But I won't, I promise.

Seriously though, they obviously don't understand that imitation is the highest form of flattery, and for that, they are idiots.

Anonymous said...

Natalie, if you do end up doing a drive-by burrito throwing, make sure you take a picture of it so Bizzy can post it on here!

- Ricky

The Chatty Housewife said...

Wow, what a horrible for them to thank you for your free publicity and advertising. I guess it doesn't pay to be honest?

Dee @ The Kitchen Snob said...

I was just curious if you were copying and pasting recipes directly to your blog (word for word) or were you changing them in any way or writing in your own words? I know that a list of ingredients cannot be copyrighted but the actual instructions can be, as well as any pictures. I would be interested to know if that's why you got a letter?