how do cereal manufacturers copy other cereals almost identically without problem?

xpost you can copyright recipes. oh yes.

Therefore, you can copyright recipes if there is any copyrightable creative expression in said recipe. You cannot however just copyright a list of ingredients. You could probably patent a list of ingredients though. Methods of doing something, and compositions of matter are both patentable, in theory. You really shouldn't be able to patent a recipe, because I doubt a truly novel and non-obvious recipe exists when compared with the existing recipes already out there in the world. But there are lots of stupid patents on the books.

Even if a cereal recipe was copyrighted/patented whatever, I doubt the original manufacturer would want to incur court costs proving their recipe had been infringed. The original reply had it right, its more about brand supremacy anyway.

United States Patent 4,491,601
Method of making a readily portable burrito

I claim:

1. A method of making a Mexican-type food item comprising providing a tortilla, laying the tortilla on a flat surface, positioning a substantially rigid and self-supporting elongate member on the tortilla with a substantial portion of its length projecting beyond an edge of the tortilla a sufficient distance to be hand held, with said elongate member located about one-fourth of the width of the tortilla from one edge thereof, folding inwardly and over and beyond the inner portion of the member positioned on the tortilla, the portion of the tortilla between said member and said one edge, then turning the member and the folded over tortilla portion inwardly toward an edge opposite said one edge over that portion of the tortilla extending beyond the member to secure the member to the tortilla, placing a food filler on the flat portion of the tortilla adjacent the member and the portion of the tortilla wrapped therearound, positioning the remaining flat portion of the tortilla around the food filler with the opposite edge in over-lapping relationship with the wrapped portion, closing off end portions of the tortilla beyond the food filler to enclose the food filler, fastening said opposite edge to an underlying portion of the tortilla, and cooking the fastened tortilla in hot liquid by immersing it in the hot liquid to render the tortilla in a semi-rigid, self-sustaining state.

2. A method according to claim 1 wherein said hot liquid is oil at a temperature of 325.degree.-375.degree. F.

3. A method according to claim 1 characterized by cooking the fastened tortilla in said liquid until the tortilla rises to the surface of the liquid, and removing the tortilla from the liquid.

4. A method according to claim 1 characterized by turning the member again toward said opposite edge prior to placing the food filler on the flat portion of the tortilla.

It goes on like that, those interested are encouraged to put the patent number into the USPTO search engine and read the rest. There are other recipes there, my friend once showed me her favorite patent "Method of Exercising a Cat" which consisted of shining a laser pointer on the wall and allowing said feline to chase it around.

IP law is silly.

People like you!

Besides, why do you think I want you to get this brothel of yours of the ground so I can be your hired goon.

You'll be the best hired goon ever...

I should imagine the more common difficulty is in designing the machines that will mass manufacture the copied product.