Brandon Stanton, creator of the latest statement from the Humans of New York page
The founder of the social media page Humans of New York has again issued a statement on Instagram after the page Humans of Bombay filed a copyright lawsuit against another page called People of India. The feud was one of the biggest talking points on the internet.
In his new statement, Brandon Stanton, creator of the Humans of New York page, said that when art begins for profit, it ceases to be art. He said: “In the last thirteen years I have not received a cent for a single story told on Humans of New York, despite many millions being offered. All my income comes from books about my work, speeches I’ve given, and Patreon. I can’t give 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: “Beautiful art can make money, there’s nothing wrong with that. But when art starts with a profit motive, it stops being art and becomes a product. I welcome anyone who embraces the ‘People of’ concept to express something true and beautiful about their community. I don’t identify with anyone who uses it to create a certain lifestyle for themselves.”
See the message here:
Meanwhile, ‘Humans of Bombay’ alleged that POI had copied a unique storytelling format without permission, besides using films from their Instagram account and YouTube channel.
Earlier, Mr. Stanton said he was staying quiet about the “appropriation of my work because I think Humans of Bombay shares important stories, even if they have made a lot more money than anything I would want to do on HONY.”
“But you can’t charge people for what I forgave you for,” he concluded.
According to the plea, People of India allegedly violated copyright by using films from Humans of Bombay’s Instagram account and YouTube channel without permission. Moreover, it alleged that People of India also copied HOB’s unique storytelling format without permission.
