Re the copyright law In Australia

Good friend of mine is a QC in SA mate, he's been through this a couple of times, both photographs in restaurants and recipes. It's not at all uncommon for restaurants to get antsy about someone taking a pic of their menu posted on the outside of the place, they fear competition copying ideas and more important - to them, getting their prices beaten. However, it's been demonstrated a few times that it's is not enforceable - it's on "public view."

Inside the restaurant can be very different but one restaurant that tried to prevent someone from taking a pic of a birthday cake brought in for a party was given short shrift and likewise a table pic, same party.

Recipes are decidedly more interesting. The legal situation seems to be that if you in posting a recipe on a forum for example and give credit to the source, in particular if you then describe how you cooked the recipe then you have not infringed anyone's copyright, in fact the legal stance is that you have acted to popularise and as such the recipe originator, if there is such a thing, has had free publicity

The law, still grappling with the implications of the net, but the reality is that very, very few recipes are actually unique and derivation is a can of worms that the law refuses to open where food is concerned.

So, give credit, embellish and cook in peace

Cheers