Brandon Stanton who is the creator of Humans of New York (HONY) has provided his opinion on the ongoing legal dispute between two copycat accounts in India.
What is HONY?
HONY is a photo blog and book that includes an insight into people lives in New York by quoting a short story and picture of each individual. HONY currently has over 20 million followers on social media and provides a worldwide audience into the lives of some strangers in New York. Over the last 5 years HONY has expanded to include stories from over 20 different countries and have published 2 bestselling books.
The Spinoff Accounts
Humans of Bombay (HOB) started in Mumbai in 2014, since then it has over 2.7 million followers. People of India (POI) was created in 2019 and currently has over 1.5 million followers. Both HOB and POI are known for posting pictures and videos of people and their stories in a similar format to HONY.
HOB have made a claim of copyright infringement in the Delhi High Court against POI. HOB have alleged that POI have an “identical portal base/service” and have essentially replicated their business model. HOB provided evidence of several instances where POI posted pictures and videos that are similar to those on HOB’s account. POI have not publicly commented on the copyright infringement claim made against them; however, they have continued to share posts on social media.
Brandon Stanton’s criticism
The case attracted international interest when Stanton publicly criticised HOB as he accused the account of appropriating his work and monetizing a format that has earned him a global following.
HOB responded to Stanton’s public criticism by denying his accusations as he was not equipped with all the relevant information, and it was nothing more than a “cryptic assault”.
However, the public perception of HOB’s copyright claim is largely negative as it is seen as hypocritical due to HOB’s work being heavily influenced by HONY.
Stanton has stated that he welcomed the use of his concept “to express something true and beautiful about their community” but could not support anyone using it for financial gain and creating a “certain lifestyle” for themselves.
It will be interesting to see if HOB will continue with their claim against POI considering the backlash, they have received from HONY and the public.
If you have any queries regarding this article or an alternative matter, you can contact us at Lawdit today.
Tel: 023 8023 5979
E-mail: info@lawdit.co.uk
