Food and Copyright

On October 27, 2021, the U.S. Copyright Office hosted the Copyright Office Presents event, “Food and Copyright.” Copyright encourages us to create and share stories that bring people together and inspire new works. This program showcased copyrighted works and authors who inspire and bring people together around food. Speakers focused on how they use the culinary aspects of a culture to tell diverse stories in various mediums including, film, blogs, photography, short stories, and more.

Guest speakers include:

• Bryan Ford, best-selling author of New World Sourdough, which critics say incorporates Ford’s Central American roots as it changes the way we think about sourdough by making it more inclusive.
• Adam Ragusea, a YouTuber who creates videos about recipes, food science, and culinary culture. His cooking videos have over 345 million views.

The Copyright Office Presents lecture series, launched in 2011, provides a forum to discuss the practical implications of copyright law in the twenty-first century, provides education and training to Copyright Office and other Library of Congress staff members, and offers this programming to the public. Past invited speakers include congressional leaders, authors, performers, company representatives, and legal scholars.