PETA Is Suing A Photographer On Behalf Of…A Monkey

A few years ago, this photo went viral. A monkey managed to take the perfect selfie.

“One of them must have accidentally knocked the camera and set it off because the sound caused a bit of a frenzy,” the photographer David Slater said at the time. “At first there was a lot of grimacing with their teeth showing because it was probably the first time they had ever seen a reflection.

“They were quite mischievous jumping all over my equipment, and it looked like they were already posing for the camera when one hit the button,” he added.

Slater got the credit, but PETA has a problem with that, because the monkey technically pressed the button. Therefore, the monkey should get the credit. That’s what PETA is arguing. It’s suing Slater over this on behalf of the monkey. For real. This is real life. And now Slater’s totally broke, because the legal fees are ridiculous.

The 52-year-old from south Wales, who specialises in wildlife and conservation photography, said he has been left penniless after years of legal wrangling over whether he or the macaque owns the copyright of the picture.

 

Mr Slater, who couldn’t even afford a flight to America to be at the court hearing on Thursday, said that he is considering giving up his career as a photographer, and becoming a tennis coach or a dog-walker instead.

“I am just not motivated to go out and take photos any more. I’ve had outlays of several thousand pounds for lawyers, it is losing me income and getting me so depressed. When I think about the whole situation I really don’t think it’s worth it,” he said, according to the the Telegraph.

All because of PETA suing on behalf of a monkey. I repeat, copyright infringement. For a monkey.

In 2014 he asked Wikipedia to take down his picture after they published it without his permission, but the web giant refused and said that the copyright belonged to the monkey.

 

The US Copyright Office ruled that animals cannot own copyright but People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sued Mr Slater in 2015.

The lawsuit is still ongoing. It’s going through the 9th Circuit in San Francisco, which as you know, is the most batsh*t of them all. If any court were to rule in favor of the monkey, it’d be the 9th Circuit.

Angela Dunning, representing Mr Slater, told the court that PETA was “not even sure they have the right monkey”, referring to Naruto. “It is absurd to say a monkey can sue for copyright infringement. Naruto can’t benefit financially from his work. He is a monkey.”

 

Andrew Dhuey, also representing Mr Slater, said PETA should pay all of his legal fees because “monkey see, monkey sue will not do in federal court”.

Judge Carlos Bea asked why the case should not be dismissed and asked if anyone could point to the law which said “man and monkey are the same”.

Judge N. Randy Smith said: “There’s no loss as to reputation. There’s no even allegation that the copyright could have benefitted somehow Naruto. What financial benefits apply to him? There’s nothing”.

Of course, the monkey hasn’t issued a statement or showed up to court. And if it won, it obviously wouldn’t get the money. PETA would. But listen! It promises to use the money to help the monkey!

Proceeds from these photos should go to protect Naruto & his family who are being wiped out for illegal bush meat. https://t.co/A9XJwUYZiZ

— PETA (@peta) July 13, 2017

And everyone says, “Yeah, right.”

PETA can suck a bowl.

h/t RedState