I just read on Babblethat Jessica Seinfeld, author of Deceptively Delicious, and her husband Jerry Seinfeld, are being sued for plagiarism by Sneaky Chef author Missy Chase Lapine.
And although I know she won’t read this, I want to tell Ms. Lapine that I am sorry that although I received her book for review last APRIL, I now realize that I just plain never wrote the review. I can see the book sitting on my bookshelf right now, and I promise I will make something from it this week.
I did glance through her book, and I have to say, I do see the similarities between her book and Jessica Seinfeld’s. However, what I think is worse even than the plagiarism is the behavior of Jerry Seinfeld during all of this. On the David Letterman show in October, he called Ms. Lapine a “wacko”, and on an early occasion had called her a “nut job” and “hysterical”. That was just uncalled for. It’s fine for him to want to defend his wife, but to attack someone else in public like that? Not cool, Jerry.
It will be interesting to see what the outcome of this case will be. I can go to any library or bookstore and find you two books in the same genre that have similar covers, structure, and even some of the same language. It’s not like Ms. Lapine invented the idea of sneaking veggies into food. What about all of those Harlequin romances with different variations on the same cover and practically the same plot in every one? How does one claim to have created something original when it is so similar to something else? Let’s just hope the Seinfelds don’t use their vast wealth to keep Lapine in court for too long.
Well, well. I predicted that Missy would sue Seinfeld. It was incredibly smart of Missy to let her book’s sales ride off the publicity of Seinfeld’s book and then to sue Ms. Seinfeld. Jerry is such a putz! No class at all! Good for Missy!
Let’s review earlier posts:
Ms. Lapine is very fortunate to may have been plagiarized because now she’ll make so much more money from the media exposure….that’s the logic of many folks, who don’t even know Ms. Lapine. Yeh, she’ll even be more happy when her greedy lawyers start deposing the Seinfeld’s entire HarperCollins book prep team in 3-4 weeks to see who leaked Ms. Lapine’s manuscript. HarperCollins even had to change the artwork on Seinfeld’s book cover (a winking lady with carrots nearby) because Ms. Lapine’s publisher complained when they noticed a flyer on the book. You see, Ms. Lapine didn’t use an agent when she first presented her manuscript to HarperCollins so the book staff could possibly have just said, ” Heh, look here, a free manuscript to steal. Nobody will ever know.”
TWO books which are:
both cookbooks
shown to the same publisher
in the same year
with the same UNIQUE recipes
on the same UNIQUE cooking concept
by authors who live in the same city
with nearly IDENTICAL book covers
both pitched to OPRAH
IS JUST A COINCIDENCE. No way, I smell a rat!
I’m often skeptical about plagiarism, but this sounds pretty blatant. Recipes, of course, are usually copied from someone else – but in this case it doesn’t look like there are many explanations other than blatant plagiarism.
I heard something similar before. Good for Ms. Lapine for sticking up for herself. Just because you don’t have a “famous name” doesn’t mean you should lie down and be a door mat!
I’m very interested in the outcome!
I’m just curious what makes a recipe your own? I’m not being sarcastic. If you change one ingredient then is it yours rather than the previous chef.
Seinfeld is a jerk for his behavior but I do believe Ms. Lapine will have a difficult time winning a lawsuit over ‘concept.’
Ang-You make a good point. Go to the cookbook aisle at a bookstore and see how many there that are similar-Soup, for example, or how to cook chicken. I think this suit has more to do with the fact that Lapine’s book came out first, and then after her appearance on the Today Show, Seinfeld suddenly had the “unique” idea to puree veggies to put in her kids’ food. I’ll have to get the two books out and see if there’s a good example I can post.
I bought Missy Lapine’s book long before I heard of the Seinfeld book, and I sincerely hope she wins her lawsuit. Missy Lapine is an accompished chef who spent years developing her recipes. The concept and methods are definitely one of a kind. Don’t the Seinfelds have enough money and fame? Doesn’t expertise and hard work mean anyting in our celebrity crazed culture? And why does Jerry Seinfeld have to attack a cookbook author so viciously?
That sounds how Seinfield would act. What a jerk.
I was wondering the same thing as Ang. I have a shelf full of cookbooks with similar type recipes and only slight variations. I was on a fondue kick one year and got 2 nearly identical cookbooks for Christmas. Should be interesting to see what happens!
Ang: thats a good question. I know of manufacturing companies that copy ideas off of other company products and simply change one minor thing which makes it “unique”. I’m not sure how it applies to recipes but my guess is the same rules apply.
Jessica Seinfeld is absolutely disgusting. What she does not know about cooking and recipes could fill three volumes. She is a total phony. Shame on Oprah for endorsing her book. The rich get richer. Disgraceful.
I’ve always thought that Seinfeld is a pompous ass & a big jerk with no morals. First, he dated an under-age girl, then he seduced a married woman & bragged about it on Saturday Night Live. His show was a misogynistic mess & I’ve always found him beyond disgusting. I hope that the lawsuit against his cheating, low class wife is successful.
I just got this book, I think the recipes in the book are loaded with too much salt & fat, who needs cooking spray plus oil, then you have the recipes that also include adding butter. There is nothing healthy about this! Needless to say, I’m regifting this book!