The founder of the social media page Humans of New York has issued another statement on Instagram after the page Humans of Bombay filed a copyright suit against another page called People of India. The row has been one of the biggest talking points on the internet.
In his new statement, Brandon Stanton, the creator of the Humans of New York page said that when art begins with a profit motive, it ceases to become art. He 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. All my income has come from books of my work, speeches I have given, and Patreon. 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, "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. I welcome anyone who is using the 'Humans of' concept to express something true and beautiful about their community. I do not identify with anyone who is using it for the sake of creating a certain lifestyle for themselves."
See the post here:
Meanwhile, 'Humans of Bombay' claimed that POI copied a unique storytelling format, apart from using films from their Instagram account and YouTube channel, without authorisation.
Earlier, Mr. Stanton said that he stayed quiet on the "appropriation of my work because I think Humans of Bombay 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," he concluded.
According to the plea, People of India has allegedly violated copyright by using films from Humans of Bombay's Instagram account and YouTube channel without permission. Additionally, it claimed that People of India has also copied HOB's unique storytelling format without authorisation.
