Trademarks and non-affiliation
The short version
- DupeEats is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the restaurants or brands mentioned.
- We use chain and product names only to say what a recipe, debate or ranking is about.
- We never use their logos, packaging, mascots or official photos.
- A “copycat” or “dupe” is a homemade recipe inspired by a menu item. It’s not the original, and the chain didn’t make it.
- All trademarks belong to their owners.
- If you represent a brand and something worries you, email us.
We’re not affiliated with any brand
DupeEats is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the restaurants or brands mentioned.
No restaurant chain or brand has reviewed, approved or paid for anything on DupeEats. You’ll find this notice at the bottom of every page, and a short version, “Not affiliated with any brand mentioned.”, on every image we make that names a chain.
In this notice, “DupeEats”, “we” and “us” mean the DupeEats website and the people who run it, as described in our Terms of use.
How we use brand names
Restaurant and product names are trademarks of their owners. We use them the way a newspaper or a shopper would: only to say which product we’re talking about.
- Names only, in plain text. We write a chain’s or product’s name when we need it to identify something, and no more than we need.
- No logos or brand look. We never use chain logos, mascots, slogans, packaging, brand fonts or brand color schemes, and we never use official or press photos.
- Descriptive titles. A recipe called “Copycat McDonald’s Big Mac Sauce” tells you which menu item it imitates. It doesn’t mean the chain made it, shared its recipe or approved it.
- Fair comparisons. Debates and rankings compare products by name so people can vote on them. That’s comparison, not a claim of partnership.
What “copycat” and “dupe” mean
A copycat recipe, or dupe, is a homemade recipe that tries to taste like a fast food menu item. It’s written by home cooks or by us, using ordinary ingredients. It is not the restaurant’s official recipe, and it doesn’t use any secret or confidential information.
The Clone Score shows how close the people who made a dupe think it gets to the original. It’s their opinion, not a claim by the chain or a lab test.
Photos and images
We only use photos that we, or the people who share them, have the right to use: real photos from our community, freely licensed photos labeled “Illustrative photo” (credited on our Photo credits page) and images made with AI, which are always labeled. Community photos must not show logos, branded packaging or official materials. More in our Editorial standards.
Votes, rankings and opinions
Debate results, Clone Scores and rankings reflect the votes of people who use DupeEats. They’re opinions, not facts about a company or its products, and not a scientific survey. Recipes and comments shared by the community are the views of the people who shared them.
Our name and logo
The DupeEats name, our “≈” logo and the look of our site and share cards belong to us. Please don’t use them in a way that suggests we endorse you or your product. You’re welcome to mention us and link to us.
Our ranking data is free to reuse under a Creative Commons license, as explained in Using our data. That license doesn’t cover our name and logo, or anyone else’s trademarks.
If you represent a brand
If something on DupeEats concerns your brand, email dupeeats@gmail.com and tell us:
- who you are and which brand you represent;
- the link to the page, image or post; and
- what worries you, and what you’d like us to do.
We read every message. If the issue is about copyright, such as a photo or text you own, please follow the steps on our Copyright and takedowns page so we can act on it right away. If you’ve spotted a factual mistake, see how we handle corrections.
All product names, logos and brands are property of their respective owners. Their use on DupeEats is for identification only and does not imply endorsement.