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Reuters

A monkey which snapped a well-known, grinning “selfie” should be declared the photo’s owner and receive damages for copyright infringement after it was used in a wildlife book, animal rights activists argued in a federal lawsuit.
Naruto, a rare crested macaque which lives free in the Tangkoko Reserve on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, took the image and several others about four years ago using a camera left unattended by British photographer David Slater, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) said in the suit.
The so-called Monkey Selfies that resulted came from “a series of purposeful and voluntary actions by Naruto, unaided by Slater,” said the complaint, filed on Tuesday in US District Court in San Francisco.
“Naruto has the right to own and benefit from the copyright ... in the same manner and to the same extent as any other author,” the suit said.
READ MORE: Dying to get the photo: Five selfies that ended tragically

Slater said he felt “rather bemused” and persecuted by the lawsuit, which he said seemed to be a publicity stunt.
He said he was very disappointed not to have been contacted by PETA in advance, and described himself as a low-paid wildlife photographer who has been struggling to earn a living.
“I am sympathetic in my book for animals having rights to property in some circumstances, but in no way do I mean copyrights,” Slater said in an e-mail.
“Their focus seems more aimed at making me out to be a criminal than someone who loves and respects and fights for animals ... I have to wonder what are the true motives behind this attack on me,” he wrote.
PETA has asked the court to declare Naruto the author and copyright owner of the photos, and to award the monkey damages.
It also sought a court order letting PETA and a noted primatologist, Dr Antje Engelhardt of Georg-August University, Gottingen, Germany, administer Naruto’s rights on condition that all proceeds be used solely for the benefit of him, his family and community, “including the preservation of their habitat.”
 


Monkey deserves copyright to famous ‘selfie’, PETA lawsuit claims

US animal rights activists filed an  unusual lawsuit on behalf of this macaque monkey who snapped selfie photographs, arguing it owned the photos rather than the nature photographer involved.  Photo: David Slater/Court exhibit provided by PETA via AP


David Slater insists he owns the rights since he set up the  tripod and walked away for a few minutes. Photo: Facebook


Yellowstone bison attacks woman who was trying to take a selfie with it

No selfies, please. A herd of Yellowstone bison wanders down a road in the park. Photo: Yellowstone National Park

Photographer and Wikipedia in battle over rights to monkey selfie

A row over monkey selfies has hit Wikipedia. Photo: SCMP Pictures

Selfie behaviour: Chinese tourist ignores ‘do not touch’ sign for photos on 600-year-old statue

A Chinese woman spent about five minutes sitting on the Ming dynasty statute in Nanjing while posing for photographs. Photo: SCMP Pictures

A Chinese couple were criticised after etching their names inside a heart symbol on a 300-year-old bronze water vat at the Forbidden City in Beijing. Photo: Ifeng.com

The Chinese woman apparently failed to see a sign beside the statue, saying 'Do Not Touch'. Photo: SCMP Pictures

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Monkey deserves copyright to famous ‘selfie’, PETA lawsuit claims

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}.css-jfmysa{display:inline;word-break:break-word;}.css-1ankfgb{cursor:pointer;display:inline;word-break:break-word;}READ MORE: Dying to get the photo: Five selfies that ended tragically

READ MORE: Dying to get the photo: Five selfies that ended tragically