Thread: Slimming World Copyright Clarification

Hi Everybody,

Here is the offical word from Slimming World regarding copyright & my original request.

The email has been edited to remove my name

Pierce


=========================================

Dear Pierce,

Many thanks for your e-mail. I'd be happy to clarify what information
should/shouldn't be used from both the Slimming World and our print
publications.

We're more than happy for members to discuss personal favourite recipes
and their Syn values, and to support each other with personal
experiences, motivating messages and congratulations. Support is crucial
to members' success and if a forum boosts the support they receive from
their group, our magazine, friends, family and our official website,
LifelineOnline - and helps them become more successful in their weight
loss, that's fine with us!

For copyright reasons, recipes, features and photographs from Slimming
World books, the magazine and the website shouldn't be outside that
publication. We're constantly checking the accuracy of our recipes
following updates from manufacturers of basic food, and it's vital we
have control over the accuracy of our information. Also, the rights to
the photography don't cover additional websites etc.

Ultimately, I want to ensure that information available to members is
correct and isn't going to affect their weight losses in group. It's
for that reason we also ask other companies/websites not to allow lists
of foods to be included on their website, including Free Foods, Healthy
Extras and Syns copied from the website or from the member book.

The Fast Forward plan isn't one of Slimming World's eating plans. It is
a tool that a Consultant uses when a member has struggled long-term. We
don't recommend members use it day to day or even week to week. In
fact, the vast majority of members will never need and never use Fast
Forward. For that reason, the Fast Forward rules/meals shouldn't appear
anywhere but in a Slimming World group and with the guidance of a
Consultant. We don't even have it on our official website.

We've mentioned the Slimming World password before; thank you for adding
the message on your site and helping us keep our group member website
exclusively for Slimming World group members. It is their group fees
that help us maintain this free website, and we're keen to keep it free
and exclusive!

I hope that helps, Pierce. Please don't hesitate to contact me again if
you have any further queries or specific content questions I can help
with.

Best wishes,

Rebecca


Rebecca Robinson
Website & Design Manager


-----Original Message-----
From: Pierce
Sent: 11 September 2008 21:23
To: Slimming World
Subject: Slimming world website content & copyright clarfication request

Dear Sir/Madam,

My name is Pierce and we run a website called MiniMins.com a large
dieting support website. I have been in contact before with one of your
staff regarding copyright issues on MiniMins. (Slimming World password
and Fast Forward).

At the moment we are having issues trying to clarify what content can be
taken from Slimming World and printed on our forum.

Members typically like to talk about recipes and syn values of food.

What I would appreciate is a guideline that I can post to our members
regarding the content on SlimmingWorld. E.g what to copy, what not to
copy, how much can be copied etc.

Best Regards,
Pierce

Sorry to sound thick Pierce, but does that mean we can no longer advise other members of Syn values?

not to allow lists of foods to be included on their website, including Free Foods, Healthy Extras and Syns copied from the website or from the member book.

Afraid it looks like it...

Pierce

Would that cover the occasional one posted when someones stuck as opposed to posting a whole list of them?

Originally Posted by Pierce

We're more than happy for members to discuss personal favourite recipes
and their Syn values,

What does this mean then? The only place to get syn values is from the book or website?

That's what confused me too

surely discussing syn values on here between members is no different to friends discussing it over coffee?!

Hmmm - puzzling! So we can share syn values, but we cant! is how I read it..... obv Im not alone in that x

How I have read it is that lists of syn values cannot be reprinted as they have been copied from directories etc however individual syn amounts are allowed as they are common knowledge and used in the context of conversation, with the author stating the value not reciting a list of values from a book..

But I may be wrong.. (most often am!!)

I know what you're saying Dee, but the only way the syn value would ever be common knowledge and used in every day conversation is because someone has at some point got it off the SW website or out of the directory xxx

Am i understanding this correct. We can talk about what recipe we have used ie; Chicken casserole, but if someone asked for the recipe and the syne value we can't give it to them if it has come from a SW book or mag. What I don't understand is why?
You can buy all the SW books including the starter pack and syn directory mag. on E Bay, and you don't have to join SW to obtain then,yet we can't give out what in them to friends on the forum. It makes no sence to me, or am I just thick!!
If they don't want non member to have the books etc, then they should stop the sell of them outside club. All we are trying to do is surport and motivate all people who have the same goal in the end to loss weight!!

They do say that they are happy for people discuss syn values of recipes, so surely that would be syns for everything, otherwise you could say

"I have a recipe for Alpen light and water

1 alpen light.....x syns
eat with water.....0 syns


So, I read it as being allowed to discuss syn values, but not give a list out at a time, or a scan of one of their books. I think that's fair enough.

Ive PMd Pierce to just confirm the Syn situation. Personally I cant see giving the odd Syn value here as being a problem as they clearly say LISTS but Pierce can hopefully confirm it

Originally Posted by Tina T

You can buy all the SW books including the starter pack and syn directory mag. on E Bay, and you don't have to join SW to obtain then,yet we can't give out what in them to friends on the forum. It makes no sence to me, or am I just thick!!
If they don't want non member to have the books etc, then they should stop the sell of them outside club.

The official SW books and guides are not supposed to be available anywhere other than classes, SW by post or the bodyoptimise site. I think they actually say on them that they are not for resale. The ones that are available on Ebay should not be there.

The magazine never gives full lists of foods that are free, obviously the idea being that you pay to join a class to get that information.

Originally Posted by Tina T

You can buy all the SW books including the starter pack and syn directory mag. on E Bay, and you don't have to join SW to obtain then,yet we can't give out what in them to friends on the forum.

It would be the same with other things though. We can buy a CD on Ebay, but that doesn't mean we are allowed to upload it onto a forum for everyone to copy it. Same goes with books.

If they don't want non member to have the books etc, then they should stop the sell of them outside club

.

that's easier said than done though. How would you stop people selling them anywhere? And should you anyway. We are all allowed to sell our books on ebay, car boot sales etc, but doesn't mean we are allowed to copy them onto a forum

All we are trying to do is surport and motivate all people who have the same goal in the end to loss weight!!

Yes, but SW is a business. Hence the difference. Hopefully a part of the business is to support and motivate people, but it's still a business to make money to pay for research, leaders etc.