Instagram Food Porn May Actually Be Illegal In Germany

We know you put a lot of thought into selecting the perfect angle and Instagram filter for your food porn photo, but that picture may be illegal in Germany.According to the newly expanded German copyright law, photos of "elaborately arranged food" are the intellectual property of the food's creator.

That means that if you're visiting the famous three Michelin-starred Aqua restaurant in Wolfsburg and want to commemorate the occasion with a little social media bragging, you could be in serious breach of international copyright law.

"Even if no copyright infringement has occurred, the restaurant owner is legally allowed, by householder's rights, to forbid customers taking photos of food," Dr. Niklas Haberkamm told German publication Die Welt. "If you want to be absolutely on the safe side, you should probably ask the host or the chef."

The severity of the law is determined by the artfulness or fanciness of the dish. If you're taking snaps of a bag of potato chips or cheese and crackers, you're probably in the clear, but the law states that the chef or restaurant has a claim to photos of any elaborate meals that turn up on Instagram.