Cause 'celebes': Monkey who took famous selfies cannot own copyright, judge says
Odd News
Cause ‘celebes’: Monkey who took famous selfies cannot own copyright, judge says
A celebes crested macaque monkey who took now-famous selfies cannot be declared the copyright owner of the photos, a U.S. judge said. Activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals brought the case in San Francisco on behalf of Indonesian simian Naruto, who shot to fame last year after a photographer published pictures taken by the monkey with his camera. PETA petitioned the court to have the macaque “declared the author and owner of his photograph." But in a preliminary ruling Wednesday, Judge William Orrick ruled against Naruto.
While Congress and the President can extend the protection of law to animals as well as humans, there is no indication that they did so in the Copyright Act.
Judge William Orrick
The photos were taken during a 2011 trip to Sulawesi with an unattended camera owned by British nature photographer David Slater, who asked the court to dismiss the case. The photos have been widely distributed by outlets, including Wikipedia, which contend that no one owns the copyright to the images because they were taken by an animal, not a person. In court documents, Slater described himself as a nature photographer who is deeply concerned about animal welfare, and said it should be up to the U.S. Congress and not a federal court to decide whether copyright law applies to animals. Jeff Kerr, general counsel for PETA, said the organization will continue fighting for the monkey’s rights.
Despite this setback, legal history was made today because we argued to a federal court why Naruto should be the owner of the copyright rather than been seen as a piece of property himself. This case is also exposing the hypocrisy of those who exploit animals for their own gain.
PETA general counsel Jeff Kerr
