Copy and paste: Brooki, Nagi and the scandal of stolen words

When we press Command-C and then Command-V, we don’t really think anything of it, but technically, this is plagiarism. It isn’t just about copying homework though; it encompasses a deep ethical dilemma that affects industries across the board.

This issue has recently come to light in the accusations made by Recipe Tin Eats founder Nagi Maehashi against Brooke Bellamy of plagiarising two of her recipes in her newly published cookbook ‘Bake with Brooki’. She didn’t only blame Bellamy but also the publisher Penguin, a multi-billion-dollar company.

Penguin has had previous issues with plagiarism. For instance, in 2009, Dr Danny Keenan’s book “Wars Without End” was accused of plagiarism. Penguin ended up having to withdraw the copied extracts and republish a revised version.

In regard to the recipes, the allegations first started when Maehashi wrote a statement on her website titled ‘When you see your recipes in a $4 million book’. She expressed her concerns over the plagiarism after a reader of Bellamy’s cookbook notified her of the similarities. She then proceeded to post this picture, a side-by-side comparison of the caramel slice recipe Bellamy published and her own recipe.

These pictures highlighted the stark similarities between both the ingredients and the method. As well as the caramel slice recipe, Maehashi highlighted similarities between a baklava recipe as well.

After this, Maehashi stated, “I have made copyright infringement allegations against Penguin Random House Australia, claiming there are plagiarised recipes in the bestselling book Bake with Brooki, including two from my website and other authors, including cookbooks.”

Maehashi has raised these issues in an attempt to speak up against plagiarism of recipes – a notoriously grey area between copying, appropriation and inspiration. She says, “I’m speaking up because staying silent protects this kind of behaviour. Profiting from plagiarised recipes is unethical – even if it is not copyright infringement – and undermines the integrity of the entire book. In my opinion, plagiarism is never excusable, no matter how small.”

To resolve this, Maehashi has asked Penguin to withdraw the book containing the alleged plagiarised recipes.

Penguin has responded by denying the allegations, stating in a letter, “Our client respectfully rejects your clients’ allegations and confirms that the recipes in the BWB Book were written by Brooke Bellamy.”

Bellamy has also denied these allegations saying in a statement on her Instagram “that she did not plagiarise any recipes.” To address the similarities in the caramel slice recipes, she says “It uses the same ingredients as my recipe, which I have been making and selling since four years prior.”

Adding to this, she states that she has “great respect for Nagi” and she offered to remove the alleged plagiarised recipes to avoid any more legal conflict.

However, other recipe developers have started to speak up. This includes the famous baker Sally McKenny, also known as Sally’s Baking Addiction. She has claimed her ‘Best Vanilla Cake I’ve Ever Had’ recipe, which was published in 2019, had been plagiarised for the book and was also put on Bellamy’s YouTube channel.

These allegations have ignited a debate on social media around the issues around plagiarism. Some people believe Bellamy has done nothing wrong, blaming Maehashi for this legal conflict with some attacks becoming personal. The same has happened for Bellamy, with social media fuelling the fire of this ongoing conflict.

So, what do you think? Did Brooki plagiarise Nagi’s recipes or were they already hers? Food for thought…

Lucy A, Year 11