# "Impose" in a legal description

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impose-in-a-legal-description/917928>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [August 12, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impose-in-a-legal-description/917928 "2020-08-12T21:25:33Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impose-in-a-legal-description/917928/1 "2020-08-12T21:25:33Z")

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I was reading about shortbreads and shortcakes (while eating some Walkers shortbread fingers) and came across this sentence in the Wiki article on Petit-Beurre. What does it mean to “impose the basic recipe”?

“When designing the Petit Beurre, Louis Lefèvre-Utile was quickly copied by his competitors. He then set up a rather virulent advertising company in which he renamed his biscuit the “Véritable Petit Beurre” or “True Petit Beurre”. After many years, he managed to impose the basic recipe, without chemical additives, reducing the number of competitors.”

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**Author:** ![jnglmassiv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f07891/32.png) [@jnglmassiv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jnglmassiv)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impose-in-a-legal-description/917928/2 "2020-08-12T23:05:02Z")

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‘Improve’ seems like it would work in this context. Maybe it’s a typo?

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**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\
**Post date:** [August 12, 2020, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impose-in-a-legal-description/917928/3 "2020-08-12T23:16:35Z")

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It looks like the Wiki took the text from [this article](https://www.biscuitpeople.com/magazine/post/Petit-Beurre), which appears to be a translation. I think it’s either a typo as **jnglmassiv** suggests, or a bad translation.

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**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\
**Post date:** [August 13, 2020, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/impose-in-a-legal-description/917928/4 "2020-08-13T00:31:14Z")

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_Imposer_ means to place an obligation upon, to tax. In the context it could mean that he obtained a patent in respect of the recipe, or secured the right to obtain royalties or fees from the use of the recipe.