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Legal specialist analyzes Nagi’s assertions
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Recipe cases are ‘difficult to substantiate.’
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READ MORE: Major setback for Brooke after losing her ambassador position
A legal specialist indicates that Nagi Maehashi would face an uphill battle if she attempts to make her case against competitor Brooke Bellamy, who has been accused of taking her recipes, should they go to trial.
Nagi Maehashi, who founded RecipeTin Eats, claims that well-known social media baker Ms Bellamy took two of her recipes — for baklava and caramel slice — from her best-selling cookbook titled “Bake With Brooki.”
On Tuesday, Ms. Maehashi brought up allegations of copyright violation. Shortly after, Sally McKenney, the U.S.-based author and blogger known as Sally’s Baking Addiction, also stepped forward with comparable complaints against Ms. Bellamy.
Ms Bellamy, who was previously dismissed from her role as an ambassador for a government-supported initiative aimed at encouraging young women in business, refuted the allegations. She stated that she had been creating and selling her recipes long before Ms Maehashi’s versions were released.
On Thursday, Ms. Maehashi responded sharply by posting a screenshot of an archived recipe for caramel slice from April 2016. This date precedes Ms. Bellamy’s alleged creation of the recipe in October 2016 by half a year.
This dispute has brought up queries regarding whether recipes posted by amateur chefs and food bloggers fall under copyright laws. Daily Mail Australia does not imply that Ms. Maehashi’s assertions are factual.
Is it possible to copyright a recipe?
Isabella Alexander, a law professor at the University of Technology Sydney, informed Daily Mail Australia that it is actually feasible to secure copyrights for recipes.
“I suppose the response is affirmative; a recipe could indeed be safeguarded under copyright law, yet it may offer limited protection,” stated Ms Alexander.
It would be simpler to seek protection for a recipe that was highly unusual, one-of-a-kind, or presented in a distinctly personal manner.
‘When following the recipe, you’d aim for an almost identical match between the original and the supposed replica.’
Is Nagi Maehashi’s argument compelling?
Ms. Alexander mentioned that the two recipes for caramel slice appeared very alike; however, she explained that there are limited methods to prepare this delightful confectionery item.
“The issue is, when making a caramel slice, you must consider the ingredients because you’re operating under quite limited constraints,” she explained.
‘The instructions show more discrepancies than the ingredients, yet there remains a significant degree of resemblance.’
‘I believe there might be an implication of duplication that can be deduced from this.’
However, if Ms Maehashi were to initiate legal proceedings, it would be challenging for her to demonstrate that she had added her unique touch to the recipe, according to Ms Alexander.
It’s not exactly black and white — proving recipe cases can be quite difficult.
‘Nagi needed to demonstrate her specific addition to this traditional recipe since Brooke had replicated it.’
It would assist Brooke’s defense that her recipe was phrased somewhat distinctively, she mentioned.
Should Ms. Maehashi’s case be successful, she might request compensation or an accounting of profits.
Her remuneration could consist of a portion of the book’s royalties along with a sum for missing acknowledgment.
The book has reportedly generated approximately $4.6 million in sales.
Ms. Alexander referred to it as a ‘captivating case’ offering a glimpse into the workings of the food sector.
Clearly, there exists a group of chefs and individuals who write recipes, and they adhere to certain standards regarding the extent of copying that is considered acceptable.
The controversy over alleged plagiarism took another turn on Wednesday evening when acclaimed chef and restaurateur Luke Mangan charged that Ms. Maehashi failed to properly credit him for one of his recipes.
Mr. Mangan informed The Courier Mail, “While she acknowledged my recipe, I would have liked more substantial recognition along with a link directing people to our website.”
Ms. Maehashi modified Mr. Mangan’s butter chicken recipe by incorporating salt and an alternative low-fat cream version, and she acknowledged the chef in an online footnote.
Mr Mangan was not mentioned in the print copy but it did feature a QR code linking to the online credited version.
The Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Ms. Maehashi and Ms. Bellamy for their input.
Ms. Maehashi is the creator of the well-known site RecipeTin Eats, boasting 1.5 million followers on Instagram.
She is also the writer behind the acclaimed cookbooks Dinner and Tonight.
She and Ms. Bellamy might go head-to-head next week at the Australian book industry awards in Melbourne, where their respective best-selling cookbooks have each been shortlisted for the 2025 Illustrated Book of the Year award.
On Thursday, the situation took an unexpected twist when Ms. Maehashi uploaded a video to Instagram challenging her fans and supporters to stop harassing Ms. Bellamy.
“Please cease the trolling,” the Australian chef stated in the video snippet.
‘Now I know I’ve made serious allegations, but this does not justify the personal attacks that I’ve seen online against Brooke Bellamy’ she continued.
I am not in favor of it, and I urge you to cease. I understand that this issue only affects a tiny fraction of individuals on the internet. However, I believe that most people are kind, enjoyable, and ordinary folks.
You know, feel free to express your views, engage in lively discussions, cheer for Brookie, root for me, challenge our perspectives, even consider us insignificant—whatever floats your boat. Just remember to maintain respectfulness, avoid trolling, and steer clear of hate-filled remarks.
Maehashi continued, “Essentially, when all is said and done, we’re discussing recipes here, and this is fundamentally a business disagreement.”
You know, these are legal claims that I have filed against Penguin, a corporation, claims that were made by my company.
‘So yeah, we really need to approach this with respect, you understand, it’s all part of the Recipe Tin ethos.’
This follows an incident where online baking star Bellamy closed off her social media accounts due to intense criticism stemming from allegations of plagiarism that have erupted surrounding her.
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