How bad is it to take a photo of a cookbook recipe?

gebbel

I was in the Avoca shop in Belfast earlier and took a photo with my phone of a recipe from the Avoca cookbook while browsing through it. The flash from the camera got me noticed by a few people, not sure what they were thinking though!

I know it's wrong but not sure where it rates on a scale of 'wrongness'. Did it make me stingy and cheeky? I pay my way in every other walk of life. Just thought I'd ask here as I'm somehow thinking about it a good bit. Cheers.

AvaKinder

It's theft, stingy and cheeky IMO. You could have just gotten a free recipe online. It's not that I don't think they overcharge for their stuff, but at the end of the day you could have gone to a library but you did it in a commercial business.

gebbel

OK that's what I thought afterwards.

username123

No big deal imo. If the recipe turns out it might encourage you back to buy the book.

Ive done similar in a doctors waiting room, only I wrote the recipe froma magazine into a text message because the camera on my phone is terrible.

theft, stingy and cheeky

is a bit hardcore, its a bit cheeky, but no one got injured.

Sure if youd a good enough memory you could have read it and remembered it. Thems the breaks of putting books on display. If you photographed each page of the book itd be a different story.

Slaphead07

username123 wrote: »

Ive done similar in a doctors waiting room, only I wrote the recipe froma magazine into a text message because the camera on my phone is terrible.

Were they on sale in the doctors? No.
In this case it's clearly copyright theft and rips off the writer and the publisher. There's thousands of recipes free online if that's what you want. "theft, stingy and cheeky" is spot on.

hardCopy

I'd feel a bit sketchy taking a photo in a shop but have taken pics of recipes in other people's cookbooks. Can't say I felt guilty about it.

Chuck Stone

AvaKinder wrote: »

It's theft

It's not. It's copying.

Taking the book without paying would be theft.

I'm not even sure it would constitute copyright infringement seeing as recipes can't be copyrighted afaia.

tatumkelly

Ah c'mon, theft really??

I'm notorious for flicking through cookbooks in bookshops while filling in time. I've a great memory so if I read a cookie recipe, remember the quantities, and then go home and make them... is that theft? I'm still taking that recipe home with me, without having paid for the book....

Slaphead07

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I'm not even sure it would constitute copyright infringement seeing as recipes can't be copyrighted afaia.

You can be sure the book is copyrighted. It's theft no matter what way you want to dress it up. If people are comfortable with that then fine but don't kid yourself.

Faith

This is an ethical question that has no place in this forum. There are other forums more suited to such a discussion.

Thread closed.