Humans of New York’ creator criticizes Indian counterpart over lawsuit against rival

Brandon Stanton, the mastermind behind the immensely popular “Humans of New York,” has taken a stand against the Indian version of his blog.

He expressed his disapproval of the Indian blog’s decision to file a lawsuit against a rival, accusing them of exploiting the stories of their subjects for monetary gain.

Brandon Stanton initiated “Humans of New York” in 2010, introducing interviews with New York City residents alongside captivating photographs. The project quickly gained worldwide recognition for its heartfelt stories.

Three years later, Karishma Mehta launched “Humans of Bombay” in her hometown of Mumbai, amassing an impressive 2.7 million followers on Instagram.

This month, a legal dispute arose as Mehta filed a copyright infringement suit against the “People of India” Instagram account, alleging that it had copied a substantial number of images and videos from her page.

The legal battle has ignited a social media frenzy, drawing criticism from various quarters, including Brandon Stanton himself.

“I’ve maintained silence regarding the use of my work because I believe that @HumansOfBombay shares important stories, even though they have monetized to a degree that goes beyond my comfort zone with HONY,” Stanton expressed on X, previously known as Twitter, this Saturday.

“But suing others for what I’ve forgiven you for isn’t justifiable,” he added.

Stanton also took the opportunity to commend the “Humans of Amsterdam” project, noting that its creator does not exploit people’s stories as the “front end” of a profit-making enterprise.

In response to these allegations, “Humans of Bombay” asserted that the lawsuit stemmed from their rival’s unauthorized use of their content.

“Perhaps, before passing judgment on this matter, it would have been prudent to gather information about the case,” the blog stated in a statement shared on X.

“HOB fully supports the power of storytelling,” they continued. “However, it should be carried out with honesty and ethics as its foundation.”