'Humans of Bombay' row: Brandon Stanton issues fresh statement
What's the story
Brandon Stanton, founder of Humans of New York, has issued a fresh statement amidst the ongoing copyright controversy involving Humans of Bombay and People of India. Stanton, on Tuesday, in a statement said how "when art begins with a profit motive, it ceases to become art." He further said that he welcomes anyone willing to use the "Humans of" concept.
Context
Why does this story matter?
Humans of Bombay and People of India are both social media pages that tell heart-warming and inspiring stories. The concept for both pages is derived from Humans of New York, which was founded by Stanton. The controversy began when Humans of Bombay filed a copyright infringement case against People of India. The former has been heavily trolled over the case.
Details
'Haven't received a penny for a single story,' said Stanton
Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, Stanton said, "For the last thirteen years I haven't received a penny for a single story told on Humans of New York, despite many millions offered." "I cannot provide an informed opinion on the intricacies of copyright law, but I do have an opinion on what it means to be an artist," he added.
More on his statement
'Art can make money, but…'
Stanton, who claims to have received money only through his book sales and speeches that he gives, said that there is nothing wrong in art making money. "Beautiful art can make money, there is nothing wrong with that. But when art begins with a profit motive, it ceases to become art. And it becomes a product," he said.
Twitter Post
Read his full statement
Was just asked for comment by The Washington Post regarding a certain court case involving my work, but which thankfully doesn't involve me. I thought it would be worthwhile to share the statement here. For an example of a true artist who has done beautiful things with the… pic.twitter.com/y6Xvz8EGSx
— Brandon Stanton (@humansofny) September 26, 2023
About the case
Everything to know about the controversy
Stanton said that while he welcomes anyone who wants to use the "Humans of" concept, he doesn't identify with anyone who wants to use it for "creating a certain lifestyle for themselves." As for the copyright case, Humans of Bombay has claimed that its "unique" storytelling format was copied by the People of India. It alleged that their videos/photographs were copied without any authorization.