US photographer wins 'monkey selfie' legal battle
David Slater won a two-year court battle against animal rights activist group over a monkey selfie. Photo: David Slater Photography
(Web Desk) – British photographer David Slater won a lawsuit over the ownership of a selfie photograph that a monkey took from his camera. The lawsuit which was filed by the People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta) sued the photographer on the basis of intellectual property rights of Indonesian macaque money named Naruto.
According to the BBC, Slater won after a two-year legal fight against the animal rights group. David Slater from Monmouthshire visited Indonesian jungle in 2011 where a macaque monkey named Naruto took images of himself on Slater’s camera.
The picture was issued in Slater’s book called Wildlife Personalities. Apart from Slater, the publisher - Blurb, was also sued for infringement. US judges stated that copyright protection act could not be applied to the monkey. But Peta urged that the animal should benefit.
The court dismissed the appeal submitted by Peta on “monkey’s behalf” but the nature photographer Slater agreed to donate 25 percent of any future revenue made from the picture.
David Slater holding the monkey selfie that Peta sued him over. Photo: David Slater Photography
"Peta s groundbreaking case sparked a massive international discussion about the need to extend fundamental rights to animals for their own sake, not in relation to how they can be exploited by humans," said Peta lawyer Jeff Kerr.
Slater, of Chepstow, said he put in a lot of effort which was more than enough for him to claim copyright.
The case was listed as “Naruto v David Slater” but the identity of the monkey was also under dispute between the animal rights group and Slater. With Peta claiming it to be a female called Naruto and Slater saying it is a male macaque.
After two years, the court in San Francisco ruled in Slater’s favour.
A joint statement by Peta and Slater said the photographer will give a quarter of the funds he receives from selling the monkey selfies to registered charities “dedicated to protecting the welfare or habitat of Naruto”. The statement further stated that the case “raises important, cutting-edge issues about expanding legal rights for non-human animals”.
