DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Court finally rules in the ‘monkey selfie’ case: no, monkeys can’t be copyright owners

Apr 24, 2018 by Dunja Djudjic 9 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

One of the most ridiculous and the most famous cases is finally solved: no, monkeys can’t own the copyright to the photos they snapped accidentally. To remind you, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently refused to dismiss the case. It has now ruled that crested macaque named Naruto doesn’t have legal standing to file a copyright claim against photographer David Slater.

PETA filed a lawsuit against Slater in 2015, claiming that the monkey should own the copyright over the selfies it snapped with Slater’s camera. The legal battle has been ongoing for three years now, leaving the photographer in debt (and I can’t imagine the amount of stress he’s been through). Federal judge ruled in 2016 that the monkey can’t be the copyright owner. However, PETA decided to appeal the decision and the case went on.

In September 2017, it seemed that we would finally see the end of this ridiculous case: David Slater, PETA and Slater’s co-defendant Blurb reached a settlement. The photographer agreed to donate 25% of any future revenue from the famous selfies to charities that protect the habitats of crested macaques. But no, this was not the end. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals refused the settlement and made the official appellate decision.

The court ruled that the monkey had “constitutional standing but lacked statutory standing to claim copyright infringement of photographs known as the ‘Monkey Selfies.” The decision reads that “next-friend standing can’t apply to animals” and that allowing it “would violate the public policy behind next-friend standing.” In one of the footnotes, the court also adds that PETA “appears to have failed to live up to the title of ‘friend.’”

After this rule, PETA has the right to ask the court to re-hear the case en banc, or appeal further to the Supreme Court. As Ars Technica writes, neither of this is very likely considering the earlier settlement with Slater. But knowing how long this has been going on and how stubborn PETA was, nothing would surprise me.

If you’d like to read the court rule, you can do it here.

[via Ars Technica]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

The monkey selfie case goes on: the court refuses settlement between PETA and photographer The monkey selfie case finally ends in settlement David Slater and PETA could finally settle over the monkey selfie case Federal Judge Rules Famous Monkey Can’t Own Copyright on Selfies

Filed Under: news Tagged With: david slater, law, lawsuit, legal, Monkey Selfie, PETA

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« Photographer launches elephant skin camera bags, pulls them from retail after public backlash
Photographer shows the real impact of the clothing industry on the environment »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Here’s a bullet time video booth you can build yourself
  • Ricoh has discontinued the HD PENTAX-DA 21mm F3.2AL Limited silver lens
  • This “stellar flower” unravels the twilight’s evolution in 360 degrees
  • Strobes vs Continuous LEDs – Which is right for you?
  • Wave goodbye to Apple’s My Photo Stream next month

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy