**Update 2/26 — Seinfelds respond and want lawsuit dropped.**
Ahh, yes. It was really only a matter of time, but it has happened. Missy Chase Lapine has sued Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld for plagiarism and defamation of character.
To read the lawsuit, click here. Thoughts? Agree or disagree?
Previous posts on the issue can be found here, here, here, here, and here.
January 9, 2008 at 12:05 am
No opinion on the lawsuit, really. On the one hand, I think it’s sad that parents have to trick their kids to get nutrients in them, and that it will make it harder in the long run for their kids to learn to eat healthily. On the other hand, having spent time with kids, I can understand why it’s necessary for some families– besides, who am I to judge? I sneak veggies into my food all the time, especially now that I cook for a meat-and-potatoes man… but even for me, and I *like* veggies. It’s just easier for me to eat healthily when I do.
Now, if you could teach your kids to make those recipes, so that they knew but the taste didn’t scare them, you’d be golden.
January 9, 2008 at 2:27 am
I was comparing the two books before I even heard about the lawsuit, and it was obvious to me that seinfeld plagarized this book. The identical “green eggs” recipe popped out in the first minute or so I scanned the lists of foods, and it only builds from there. Just when you think the food alone is a ripoff, actually read the lawsuit to revel in the other appalling and minimal ways she barely reworded Lapine’s book. Lapine should also look into suing publisher harper collins- interestting that the publisher that turned her down initially should decide, after gauging her success, to invest in the exact same idea, but with a celebrity to try to draw attention away from the fact that the material is in no way original….both harper collins and seinfeld are liable for plagarism, its ridiculous that the publisher is so desperate to get a piece of the pie that they would disregard the fact that they, as a publisher, having already rejected Lapine’s proposal, would accept the plagarized product knowing full well of the shameful similarities- it is not as though similar books slipped through separate publishers at the same time with each ignorant to the other’s existence as Jerry Seinfeld would like everyone to believe….
January 9, 2008 at 5:34 am
After reading excerpts of that lawsuit, I totally support Missy Lapine. I think publishers have done this in the past in the hopes of making more money off of a celebrity name. It’s sad that the Seinfelds feel the need to make even more money in that way by disparaging someone with obvious credibility in her field. And the fact that Jessica actually stated that she “didn’t need to do this cookbook” is even more telling. More power to Lapine for defending herself!
January 9, 2008 at 8:16 pm
Interesting comments…
City Girl DC — I agree that it’s horrible that she made that “I didn’t need to do this…” statement. I have a feeling her publicist probably did too.
J — I think you’re on to something. I’ve also wondered the same things.
VeggieLove — I’m actually trying to sneak vegetables into my own diet — even though I love them too. I just find I’m too lazy to make them with my dinner…when you’re cooking for one…well, I guess I just don’t go through as much effort as I do when I’m making dinner for others! I think I need to work on that!
January 29, 2008 at 3:51 pm
I highly doubt Jessica Seinfeld ever cooked anything for her kids ! I fully support Missy Chase Lapine. I own her Sneaky Chef book and I think its brilliant. My kids absolutely love her brainy brownies.