Development of Creative Commons licenses

[drew Roberts <zotz AT 100jamz.com>]

On Saturday 19 March 2005 05:05 am, Rob Myers wrote:
> On 18 Mar 2005, at 22:36, drew Roberts wrote:
> > These are not actual bits though, are they? Aren't they
> > gates, resistors, diodes, etc? Are ROMs made from masks?
>
> There is no such thing as an "actual bit". The examples you give are
> all mediums that can be used to encode bits.
>
> A bit must always be encoded in some physical medium. Let's consider
> other forms of information. An image must exist as dye on celluloid or
> canvas or as light on glass or walls. A text must exist as ink on paper
> or casette, or embossed shapes.

You know, that was (unintentionally) a bit of a doofus question I aksed. 
However, going back to the question in the context of the thread which 
produced it, How would the asic be different?
>
> Likewise a bit must exist as magnetic pulses on a hard disk, optically
> etched chemical traces on a slab of silicon, or electrical states in
> the chemicals on another slab of silicon.
>
> > You may not be able to copyright a recipe for cake, that would be good
> > and if
> > so, is good to know, ... but I just went and checked three cookbooks
> > and they
> > all have copyright pages. So, if the recipes cannot be copyrighted,
> > what
> > exactly is copyrighted in these books?
>
> You cannot copyright an idea.
> You can copyright the expression of an idea, an idea fixed in some form
> (e.g. writing).
>
> The recipe is an idea. You can't copyright the recipe.
> The particular recording and presentation of the recipe can be
> copyrighted. In particular you can copyright the typographic
> arrangement and the editorial content (your preamble to and discussion
> of the recipe).

So, what can be pulled out legally? For instance, if you have access to the 
"Three Rivers Cookbook II" there is a recipe "Broiled Oriental Swordfish 
Steaks" on page 130.

It is laid out roughly like this:

Broiled Oriental Swordfish Steaks (title - centered)
"some slogan" (slogan? - centered)

List of ingredients (left column)
Prep time (left column)
Cooking time (left column)

Prep and cooking instructions (right column)
Serves: x (right column)

Person submitting recipe (right column)

So, ideas or explanations on what would be copyrighted and what wouldn't? Or 
is nothing copyrightable at this level of the book and do we have to look at 
larger sections of the book as having copyright? (I may not be using the 
correct language here. I hope you get my meaning.)

all the best,

drew