'Can't sue others for what I forgave you': Humans of New York founder Brandon Stanton questions Humans of Bombay's legal action against rival

Brandon Stanton posted a note on X (previously known as Twitter) to express his opinion on the situation.

Brandon mentioned he willingly forgave the appropriation of his work by Humans of Bombay in the past but questioned its decision to take legal action against other platforms.

In his post, Stanton stated, "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."

Recently, HoB initiated a legal action against POI, claiming that it had copied their unique storytelling format and published nearly identical content.

HoB also alleged that POI had used images and videos from their platform without authorisation, essentially duplicating their business model, including the stories themselves.

The Delhi High Court acknowledged the matter and issued a notice to POI on September 18, reported India Today.

Justice Prathiba Singh, presiding over the case, noted that there appeared to be substantial imitation, with some photos being identical, said the report.

The court has scheduled the next hearing for October 11, it added.

Reacting to Brandon Stanton’s post on X, HoB posted a statement and said he "ought to have equipped himself" with the particulars of the case and what the company was looking to accomplish before "jumping the gun on the matter".

"It’s therefore shocking that a cryptic assault on our efforts to protect our intellectual property is made in this manner, especially without understanding the background of the case," the statement read.

Justifying its move, HoB said it was "all for the power of storytelling and it should be done honestly and ethically".

"We believe in the honourable court of India and will request patience for the law to take its own course after hearing all facts of the matter," the company further said.

In their second post, Humans of Bombay (HOB) shared images of the legal suit and accompanied them with the following statement: "We are grateful to HONY & Brandon for starting this storytelling movement. 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."