Monkey Selfie Controversy: Judge Wades In On Ownership Of Copyright Issue

How can a monkey have copyright over selfies???

When I read this, I laughed out loud, what has monkey got to do with selfies? And what is he going to do with it? archive, or sell them off to paparazzi?!  Naruto, the celeb monkey has been denied the copyright to a series of selfies she took using a camera belonging to nature photographer David Slater. The decision was arrived at by a federal judge on Wednesday.


In the day and age when lawyers are lamenting on the legal aid cuts in the UK, here is a monkey's case taken to court over copyright protection and legislation with PETA getting involved.

“I’m not the person to weigh into this,”  “This is an issue for Congress and the president. If they think animals should have the right of copyright they’re free, I think, under the Constitution, to do that.” -  U.S. District Judge William Orrick

David Slater who is at the center of this controversy was relieved that the case is over he said

"They [PETA] are more about money and publicity than animals. They have wasted people's donations on pursuing this case. At least it's got people thinking about the monkey, its situation, animal rights and how intelligent these animals are." 

A spokeswoman from PETA said despite the "setback", the case was "a vital step toward fundamental rights for non-human animals for their own sake".