Mother of Irony? Humans of Bombay sues 'People of India' over copyright; 'Humans of New York' founder reacts
Humans of Bombay has reportedly claimed that People of India has copied its content, including its logo, tagline, and the format it primarily uses for its stories.
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Humans of Bombay (HoB), a storytelling social media platform founded in 2014, has filed a lawsuit against a similar online storytelling portal called 'People of India' (PoI) over copyright infringement.
HoB has reportedly claimed that PoI has copied its content, including its logo, tagline, and the format it primarily uses for its stories.
HoB has filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court, seeking damages as well as an injunction to prevent PoI from using its content. The Delhi High Court on 18 September, issued a notice to PoI expressing concern over allegations of significant imitation.
Meanwhile HoB had done the same with HoNY.
'Humans of New York' Founder Reacts
Amidst the controversy, Brandon Stanton, the founder of Humans of New York (HoNY), which was established in 2010, took to social media to express his disappointment.
Brandon posted on X, "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."
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
'Humans of Bombay' Issues Open Letter
In response to Stanton's criticism, the HoB issued an open letter on X (previously Twitter) on 23 September, addressing the issue.
The letter stated, "It’s therefore shocking that a cryptic assault on our efforts to protect our intellectual property is made in this manner, especially without understanding the background of the case."
"HoB is all for the power of storytelling, and it should be done honestly and ethically. We believe in the honourable court of India and will request patience for the law to take its own course after hearing all facts of the matter," the statement further read.
— Humans Of Bombay (@HumansOfBombay) September 23, 2023
HoB was founded by Karishma Mehta and started off as a Facebook (now META) page that shared stories of people across Mumbai in a photoblog manner. The platform soon rose to popularity and gained over two million followers over the years.