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Humans of Bombay (HOB), a popular Indian storytelling platform that gives its readers a glimpse into the lives of several citizens of Mumbai, recently filed a lawsuit against People of India (POI), a similar platform. HOB alleged copyright infringement against POI and claimed that the platform had used images and videos from their page without permission.
The Delhi High Court issued a notice to POI on September 18, expressing concerns over the allegations.
Humans of Bombay was founded by Karishma Mehta in 2014. Brandon Stanton, the creator of Humans Of New York tweeted on September 23, that HOB should not be suing anyone on the basis of appropriation, which he claimed they engaged in as their platform was allegedly a copy of his creation.
Brandon Stanton launched Humans of New York in 2010
Brandon Stanton is a 39-year-old American writer, photographer, and blogger. The Marietta, Georgia native majored in history at the University of Georgia. Once Stanton decided to become a full-time photographer in 2010, he moved to New York with the mission of capturing 10,000 photographs of New Yorkers and putting all of them on a map of the city.
The going was initially tough as Brandon was barely able to get by on borrowed money and unemployment checks. However, once he started the Humans of New York Facebook page in November 2010, and started posting his photographs online, things began to take off.
Initially, the photographs were posted without any text, but he later started adding captions, quotes, and details to the images. This later evolved into full-fledged interviews of the people he was taking pictures of. He then transformed his photography blog into a heartfelt storytelling platform. He told CNN in a 2013 interview:
"The people and their unique stories make the pictures interesting. On their own, they wouldn’t have the same impact."
After the success of Humans of New York, Stanton expanded his reach beyond just New York to include Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal, Uganda, Vietnam, South Sudan, Kenya, and more countries. He also played an important role in bringing attention to the European migrant crisis.
Stanton has written and published two books, Humans of New York and Humans of New York: Stories, in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Both books went on to feature on the New York Times bestseller list.
Humans of New York now enjoys a tremendous Instagram following of 12.8 million.
"You can't be suing people for what I've forgiven you for": Brandon Stanton to Humans of Bombay
Earlier this month, Humans of Bombay filed a lawsuit against People of India, alleging copyright infringement. According to court documents posted by the storytelling platform on X, HOB alleged that POI started a similar platform as theirs, posting identical content. HOB claimed that POI "replicated a large number of images and videos" from their platform.
HOB enjoys 2.7 million followers on Instagram, whereas POI has amassed over 1.5 million followers. The court documents contain a side-by-side comparison of social media posts from Humans of Bombay and People of India to showcase their alleged similarities. HOB further claimed that POI had "completely replicated their business model" and also "the stories themselves".
People of New York creator, Brandon Stanton, soon penned a tweet criticizing Humans of Bombay. He responded to a tweet by Bar Bench about the lawsuit on September 23. His reply went viral online, amassing over 4.2 million views on the platform.
"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," he said.
Humans of Bombay tweeted out a direct response to Brandon, on the very same day. The tweet went on to amass over 4.7 million views and it stated that Brandon did not have a complete understanding of the background of the case.
"Perhaps, before jumping the gun on this matter, you ought to acquaint yourself with the information about the case and also about what HOB is trying to achieve. HOB is all for the power of storytelling. But it should be done honestly and ethically," HOB's reply read.
India's largest storytelling platform, Humans of Bombay was launched in 2014 by Karishma Mehta as a "simple Facebook page". HOB's official website claims that it is the only Indian storytelling platform that showcases "unique, inspirational and relatable stories of individuals from all walks of life". The website further explains why Karishma started the organization as it reads:
"She hoped to reach out a hand to those who believed that no one would understand their pain, to envelop those in a warm hug who wanted to share their happiness, to walk shoulder to shoulder with those rebels with a cause, and to just… listen. To your story."
People of India was launched with the intention of telling the "soul stories of Indians residing across the globe." Their official LinkedIn page states that they provide a platform for every Indian to share a piece of their life with readers, as they believe that every Indian has a story to tell.
