‘Humans of New York’ founder calls out ‘Humans of Bombay’ for suing ‘People of India’ over copyright infringement

The suit filed in the Delhi High Court claimed that People of India has completely replicated the stories and the business model of Humans of Bombay.

Hyderabad: Brandon Stanton, the founder of the popular blog Humans of New York, criticized the India-based storytelling company, Humans of Bombay, for filing a copyright infringement suit against an Instagram handle called People of India.

The suit filed in the Delhi High Court claimed that People of India has completely replicated the stories and the business model of Humans of Bombay.

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Posting on his official X handle, the American blogger expressed his disapproval over filing a lawsuit against another storytelling platform, while they copied his initiative.

“I’ve stayed quiet on the appropriation of my work because I think @HumansOfBombay shares important stories, even if they’ve monetized far past anything I’d feel comfortable doing on HONY. But you can’t be suing people for what I’ve forgiven you for,” Brandon posted.

I’ve stayed quiet on the appropriation of my work because I think @HumansOfBombay shares important stories, even if they’ve monetized far past anything I’d feel comfortable doing on HONY. But you can’t be suing people for what I’ve forgiven you for. https://t.co/0jZM05YyTt

— Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) September 23, 2023

Responding to Brandon’s tweet, Humans of Bombay issued an open statement on the social media platform. It said that Brandon “ought to have equipped” himself with information about the case and what the project aims to achieve before making those comments. “It’s therefore shocking that a cryptic assault on our efforts to project our intellectual property is made in this manner, especially without understanding the background of the case,” the statement read.

pic.twitter.com/JcgZOc8A6g

— Humans Of Bombay (@HumansOfBombay) September 23, 2023

In another post, Humans of Bombay said that the suit is related to “the IP in our posts & not about storytelling at all.” It added that it is grateful to Brandon for “starting this storytelling movement”.

https://t.co/GHTQ9Q3YRg

— Humans Of Bombay (@HumansOfBombay) September 24, 2023

Brandon started the Humans of New York blog in 2010. The blog which contained photos and interviews collected on the streets of New York City became an internet sensation in a short while. Based on the same niche, Humans of Bombay was started in 2014 by Karishma Mehta, an economics and business graduate from a British university. The platform has gained massive popularity over the years.