8.1.08

Sneaky Chef sues Seinfeld



Book wars - Sneaky Chef claims Deceptively Delicious cookbook is deceptive.

The author of a best-selling, healthy-eating cookbook for kids is suing Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld for copyright and trademark infringement as well as defamation for what she claims is a blatant copy of her original book "The Sneaky Chef: Simple Strategies for Hiding Healthy Foods in Kids Favorite Meals".

Missy Chase Lapine, America's answer to Jamie Oliver, is a campaigner for improving kids eating habits and her book quickly hit the best sellers lists following its release in April 2007. Some six month's later Jessica Seinfeld published her book "Deceptively Delicious: Simple Secrets to Getting Your Kids Eating Good Food." Although the publishers had been alerted to the similarities between the two books they went ahead with publication, only making some minor amendments. Lapine's lawsuit claims that in addition to striking similarities to the overall look and feel of the book, there are also several examples of identical language.

The defamation action that has been attached to the copyright and trademark infringement claims relates to Jerry Seinfeld who, it is claimed, went on a campaign to discredit Lapine, calling her a 'nut job' and publicly calling her a 'wacko' on the David Letterman show.

More from Reuters/PRNewswire
Missy Lapine's Sneaky Chef site
Jessica Seinfeld's book and webpages

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