Monkey-Selfie Lawsuit: Oddest Legal Case Over Last Few Decades Resolved

CC0 / / Monkey
Monkey - Sputnik International
Subscribe
British photographer David Slater received the rights to the images of a monkey, who made smiling selfies on his camera, the website from the animal protection organization PETA reported.

David Slater has won a monkey selfie lawsuit and received the rights to pictures, taken by a baboon during his trip to Indonesia.

At the same time, he has pledged to donate 25% of his income from the use of the pictures for animal protection purposes.

"PETA and David Slater agree that this case raises important, cutting-edge issues about expanding legal rights for non-human animals, a goal that they both support, and they will continue their respective work to achieve this goal," the website of the animal protection organization said.

An orangutan named Sandra, covered with a blanket, gestures inside its cage at Buenos Aires' Zoo, in this December 8, 2010 file photo. An orangutan held in an Argentine zoo can be freed and transferred to a sanctuary after a court recognised the ape as a non-human person unlawfully deprived of its freedom, local media reported on Sunday. - Sputnik International
Monkey See, Monkey Do: Study Shows Great Apes Can Understand Human Intentions
Slater who specializes in wildlife photography traveled to the country in 2011. Walking around a nature reserve, he installed the camera on a tripod and walked away for a few minutes. At this moment, one of the male baboons living in the park, called Naruto, grabbed the camera and made a few selfies that became famous worldwide.

The photos of the smiling monkey have become so popular that the Wikimedia Foundation, which supports the Wikipedia encyclopedia, added them to the free images section. Slater claimed he owned the copyright for the images and demanded Wikipedia to take down the pictures, but the founders of the project replied that the copyright belongs to the one who took the photos, and in this case it was the baboon.

A macaque monkey sits on a fence in a country park in Hong Kong. - Sputnik International
‘It is Absurd’: Monkey’s Ownership of Selfie Debated in Court
Later, representatives of PETA became involved in the case and demanded in court to recognize Naruto as the author of the photo and pay him money for the use of the pictures.

According to the organization's representatives, the fact that the baboon is not human does not mean that he can't be a photographer.

At the same time, Slater insisted that the camera, tripod and lens belong to him as well as setting up the light for the pictures while the primate simply pressed the button.

Many law students as well as ordinary people came to court to hear the case. The proceedings have become one of the most talked about and odd court hearings in recent decades.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала