Can you copyright a recipeA bare list of ingredients and steps usually is not protected, but original writing and photos around it can be

TimeBinder adds a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes.

The file stays on your device. Your browser makes a digital fingerprint of the file. TimeBinder records the fingerprint and the time, not the file.

Short answer

In the US and many countries a basic recipe, meaning a list of ingredients and the method, is generally not protected by copyright. Original text that describes or explains it, photos, and a creative collection of recipes may be. Other countries differ, so check local rules, and ask a lawyer about a specific case.

What is and is not covered

The US Copyright Office says a mere listing of ingredients or contents is not protected, while substantial literary expression in a recipe or a combination of recipes, such as a book, may be (Circular 33). Photos, illustrations and your own descriptive writing are protected like other original works.

A secret family recipe can be treated as a trade secret if it is kept confidential, and a brand name can be a trade mark. Countries differ, so ask a lawyer.

Keeping a dated record

If you publish a cookbook, blog post or video, keep your originals. A TimeBind records a SHA-256 fingerprint of the exact file and a time, anchored to Bitcoin. The fingerprint is made in your browser and the file is not uploaded. See how to prove I wrote something first.

A TimeBind shows a file existed by a recorded time and has not changed since. It does not register copyright and does not make a bare recipe protected.

Make a TimeBind: first one free →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. An ASAP TimeBind is US$15.

Frequently asked questions

Can I copy a recipe from a website?

The list of ingredients and steps may be free to use, but copying the writing, photos or video usually is not. Rewrite it in your own words and credit where useful.

Can I copyright a cookbook?

Original text, photos and a creative selection can be protected. The individual basic recipes generally are not.

Can a recipe be a trade secret?

It can, if you take reasonable steps to keep it confidential.

Does a timestamp protect my recipe?

No. It only shows a file existed by a time.

Sources

US Copyright Office, Circular 33: Works not protected by copyright.
WIPO, Trade secrets.

Related guides and tools

Your file’s fingerprint, anchored to a global network secured by real electricity and cryptography.

Editing a file—including with AI—changes its fingerprint, not its existing network record.

How this works

Your file’s SHA-256 fingerprint, a short code worked out from its exact contents, is made in your browser, and the file itself stays on your device. A cryptographic commitment to that fingerprint, which may be combined with others, is then anchored in a block on the Bitcoin blockchain. Bitcoin is secured by proof of work: computers around the world spend real electricity to add each block, and changing an earlier block would mean redoing that work faster than the rest of the network. Until that block is confirmed, your proof is pending. Once the Bitcoin anchoring is confirmed, you can verify the proof against that recorded commitment. The confirmed record can then be checked; Pooled TimeBinds are checked through TimeBinder, while ASAP TimeBinds can also be checked independently. If you check the file later and its fingerprint still matches, that shows the file existed no later than the recorded time. The record doesn’t show who made the file, whether AI was used, or that its contents are true.

Your filestays on your device
FingerprintSHA-256
Network timestampon Bitcoin

Record a fingerprint of the file you rely on

Add a layer of protection against AI and human fraud and disputes: a dated, checkable record of the exact file you hold.

Open the app and sign in with email or Google.
Add your files. They stay on your computer.
Seal them and download your Proof of Time certificates.

Open TimeBinder →

First Pooled TimeBind free, no card, then from US$5. See pricing.