Skip to main content

Court Rules That Monkey Who Took Awesome Selfie Doesn’t Own Picture

 

Apparently, monkeys are not equal under the law—or at least not Copyright law.  The ruling stems from a lawsuit filed last year by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) in California. PETA wanted a court order allowing them to represent the 6-year-old monkey who took the photo you see below—- and also have a say in the proceeds that the photo generated. A judge said they don’t have the same protections.

The U.S. District Judge William Orrick in San Francisco said while Congress can extend the protections of the laws – to humans– there is no indication that includes animals.

The photos in question were taken by the monkey during a 2011 trip to Sulawesi, Indonesia, by a British Nature photographer.

This story is generating some pretty entertaining tweets.

twitter money news

breaking selfie news

monkey selfie

 

The U.S. Copyright Office agrees with the judge’s ruling. They issued a 2014 update to the copyrights regulations – specifically pointing out the rules only cover humans. Oh, the law also doesn’t cover “elephant portrait panting” or “divine or supernatural gathering,” according to The National Journal. So, go ahead, make your cat take selfie — but don’t expect to reap the benefits of its proceeds.

 

 

 

 

Have a tip we should know? [email protected]

Filed Under:

Follow Law&Crime:

Rachel Stockman is President of Law&Crime which includes Law&Crime Productions, Law&Crime Network and LawAndCrime.com. Under her watch, the company has grown from just a handful of people to a robust production company and network producing dozens of true crime shows a year in partnership with major networks. She also currently serves as Executive Producer of Court Cam, a hit show on A&E, and I Survived a Crime, a new crime show premiering on A&E this fall. She also oversees production of a new daily syndicated show Law&Crime Daily, which is produced in conjunction with Litton Entertainment. In addition to these shows, her network and production company produce programs for Facebook Watch, Cineflix and others. She has spent years covering courts and legal issues, and was named Atlanta Press Club's 'Rising Star' in 2014. Rachel graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and Yale Law School.