LI Network
Published on: October 12, 2023 at 14:56 IST
The Delhi High Court has emphasized that copyright protection does not extend to ideas but covers the “expression” of those ideas.
In a copyright infringement case between storytelling platforms Humans of Bombay (HOB) and People of India (POI), a single-judge Bench led by Justice Prathiba M Singh presided over the dispute.
Also Read: The Copyright Act – Ownership and Infringement – Law Insider India
HOB had initiated the lawsuit, alleging that POI had infringed on its copyrighted content. HOB argued that not only had POI used identical content, but they had also duplicated its business model, including the stories they published.
In response, POI contended that HOB was not a unique platform, pointing out the existence of other similar platforms with comparable business models. Furthermore, they claimed that HOB’s concept bore similarities to Humans of New York, which was founded in 2010.
During the proceedings, Justice Singh acknowledged the plaintiff’s position that they had no objection to POI operating a similar platform, as long as they refrained from copying its images.
The court emphasized that there should be no monopoly over the operation of storytelling platforms and encouraged such platforms to develop their distinct creative expressions for conveying and disseminating stories.
The court’s verdict clarified that copying identical images, literary content, and the specific approach to presenting stories would be unique to each platform.
Additionally, the court stated that if photographs were commissioned or videos produced by these platforms, the copyright would belong to the respective platform.
