Humans of Bombay copyright row explained
The photoblog platform has filed a lawsuit against People of India over 'copyright infringement'
Chaos broke loose on over the weekend when the much-celebrated photoblog Humans of Bombay (HoB) was in the news for filing a lawsuit against People of India (PoI) for copyright infringement.
According to the plaintiff, PoI copied HoB's storytelling format, which showcases human interest stories centred on photographs of ordinary people. The plea also mentioned that PoI lifted films from HoB's Instagram account without seeking permission first.
— Humans Of Bombay (@HumansOfBombay) September 24, 2023
— Humans Of Bombay (@HumansOfBombay) September 24, 2023
The Delhi High Court has issued a summons to People of India and has scheduled the hearing for October 11.
Considering HoB is itself inspired by Humans of New York (HoNY), the irony of the situation was not lost on anyone. After news broke of HoB's lawsuit, the internet had a field day trolling HoB and its founder Karishma Mehta.
History of Humans of Bombay
Mehta founded HoB in 2014 as a Facebook page, which was then expanded onto other platforms. The posts are centred on evocative photographs accompanied by compelling stories of the subjects. They often go viral on social media, owing to the nature of the stories, which often have an element of sensationalism.
Eventually, the page was monetised, giving room for brands to cash in on the popularity of the platform. HoB also saw some controversies with some users accusing it of showcasing one-sided stories. The biggest controversy came in 2022, when the page started crowdfunding for a middle-class girl who wished to study at Harvard. Calling the campaign a scam, many netizens also questioned the veracity of the girl's claims and HoB's complicity in them.
Founder Karishma Mehta's viral video where she defended her "self-made" tag also didn't sit well with the netizens. Mehta's claim that she founded HoB with a Rs one lakh "loan" from her father was ridiculed as tone-deaf since many pointed out that she came from a privileged family."
Supposed financial records of HoB shared on social media show that the company made a Profit After Tax of over Rs 3 crore in 2022. However, the authenticity of the records cannot be individually verified
Copyright controversy
On Friday, news broke that HoB filed a lawsuit against PoI for copyright infringement. It didn't take too long for Brandon Stanton, the founder of HoNY, to chime in with a tweet.
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
The tweet has been shared close to 8,000 times till now with most of the posts coming in support of Stanton and bashing HoB. "HoB is not an appropriation but actually an insult to your work. It’s embarrassing that it exists and this action of their founder to sue someone else for the same stuff they’re doing reeks of insecurity," wrote one commentator.
Eagle-eyed netizens also noted that HoB has also copied HoNY's bio on Instagram. To add more to the controversy, an old video of Mehta, claiming to have "stumbled" upon the idea of HoB has also gone viral.
Humans of Bombay founder Karishma Mehta said that she got the idea of HOB "Completely randomly and out of the blue".
— Rahul Bhardwaj (@_rahulism_) September 24, 2023
It's like Abibas/Poma saying that they got the idea completely random and then sued Adidas/Puma. ?#HumansofBombay pic.twitter.com/sLouYliBVn
After Stanton put HoB on full blast on Twitter, the issue received nationwide and global attention. Social media is also rife with stories of people claiming to be former employees and clients of HoB.
People were particularly irked by HoB's sarcastic rebuttal to Stanton.
This just cracks me up!! #HumansOfBombay preaching honesty and ethics to Brandon after stealing and heavily monetising HIS brainchild.
— Swati Mahant (@BeingSwatii) September 24, 2023
The least you can do is be grateful and graceful! pic.twitter.com/cc4xGqlhQJ
The company soon backtracked by following up with a mollified version of the statement, clarifying that PoI was sued for intellectual property theft and not for appropriating the storytelling style.
We are grateful to HONY & Brandon for starting this storytelling movement.
— Humans Of Bombay (@HumansOfBombay) September 24, 2023
The suit is related to the IP in our posts & not about storytelling at all.
We tried to address the issue amicably before approaching the Court, as we believe in protecting our team’s hard work.
PFA
In the post, HoB expressed gratitude towards Brandon Stanton and HoNY for pioneering the storytelling movement. It also noted that it intended to settle the matter amicably before the matter was taken to court.
Who is Brandon Stanton?
Brandon Stanton is an American author, photographer, and blogger who kickstarted the Humans of New York photoblog. He has authored the book Humans of New York and was named Time magazine's "30 Under 30 People Changing The World" in 2013.
Who is Karishma Mehta?
According to Karishma Mehta's public profile, she is described as a "writer and photographer." Apart from founding HoB, she has also authored a book titled Humans of Bombay much like Stanton, and is a TEDx presenter.
