4 ms·

Weird thought - you can't copyright a recipe, but could you patent one?

• nkurz 4y ago
  Generally no. It's technically possible, but very few recipes would qualify for patent protection. Here's a decent summary article: Can I patent a recipe? The simple answer is no. While it is technically possible to obtain a patent on certain recipes, the likelihood and rate of patents being granted for recipes is so low that it is almost pointless to try and obtain one unless you own a chain of restaurants or are looking to franchise your business. The effort required to protect intellectual property, such as a secret recipe or cooking process, is so great, and there are so many hurdles one must clear, that the ends hardly justify the means. https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/57/protecting-your-recipes-trade-secrets-and-patents.html https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/57/protecting-your-...
  • Double_a_92 4y ago
    To be fair that explanation only says that it's hard, expensive, and not worth it. It doesn't say if it's legally possible.
    • JohnFen 4y ago
      To get a patent, you need to develop something that's not obvious to the average practitioner in the field. I imagine it's pretty hard to come up with a recipe that wouldn't be obvious to the average professional cook. And if you did, it would be pretty easy for someone to alter the recipe in a way that avoids infringement. And let's not even get started on how you'd enforce it. How many restaurants would let you in to observe them cooking? I'm guessing it's legally possible, but in practice it's probably not even close to being worth the effort.