Word of Mouth
Copyright and takedowns
Draft for review by a qualified lawyer before launch. Last updated 30 September 2026.
Creators are solely responsible for the recipes they publish. This page explains how rights holders can complain about a copied recipe, and what Word of Mouth does and does not do.
If a recipe looks copied
If you think a recipe was copied from a book or another chef but you are not the rights holder, say so honestly in your WOM rating. Ratings from people who cooked it are how the community judges a recipe.
Complaints from rights holders
If you are the author or publisher of the original, or act for them with written authority, send a copyright complaint using the complaint form. It must identify the original precisely (ISBN and pages, or the original web address), include at least two evidence links, explain passage by passage what was copied and be signed. A list of ingredients on its own is usually not protected, so the complaint must show copied method, story or photos.
What Word of Mouth does
We check that the complaint is complete and substantiated, send it to the creator, and if it is, take the recipe down. Accounts with repeated upheld complaints are closed.
What Word of Mouth does not do
We do not decide who owns a recipe, do not refund buyers, do not pay compensation and take no part in legal action. The creator is solely responsible for what they publish and any claim is between the rights holder and the creator. Buyers who want their money back contact the seller.
Leaks of paid recipes
If a creator reports that their paid recipe appears elsewhere, we remove access from the account that shared it and give the creator its stamp details. Any action against another website or person is for the creator to take.