Judge: monkey can't own copyright to own selfie
SAN FRANCISCO (KTVU) - A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by animal rights activists to declare a monkey the rightful owner of his own “selfie.” PETA filed the suit in U.S. District Court in San Francisco on behalf of a 6-year-old crested macaque named Naruto who snapped his own photo in 2011. The monkey took the “selfie” with a camera owned by a nature photographer, prompting a debate over who owns the copyright to the photo.
PETA argued in court that the monkey owned the copyright of the image, but U.S. District Judge William Orrick said in a tentative ruling that there was “no indication” the Copyright Act extended to animals.
PETA is promising to appeal the decision.