Monkey selfie copyright lawsuit finally settled

A legal battle ensued after a crested macaque monkey (Naruto ) grabbed a photographer, David Slater’s camera and took a few selfies in 2011. The images were utilised by various media outlets and were a global hit. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sued the British nature photographer and self-publishing company Blurb in 2015. PETA argued that the monkey owned the copyright to the photos and wanted all proceeds to go towards the animal’s welfare.  Â

In accordance with a recent settlement, the images will belong to David Slater. However, the former will donate 25% of future revenue procured from the photos to charities that are set up to protect Naruto and other crested macaque monkeys.

Both parties released a joint statement and confirmed the following:

“PETA and David Slater agree that this case raises important, cutting-edge issues about expanding legal rights for nonhuman animals, a goal that they both support, and they will continue their respective work to achieve this goal”.