Tag: Copyright

Whose Dance is this?

Written on March 1, 2019.

For those of you not familiar with some of my past blogs, I took a liking to a story about a macaque who lived in Indonesia. The monkey allegedly took a selfie and from there ensued a three-year legal struggle as to whether non-human animals could legally own copyrights to photographs. If you’d like to catch up with these stories, please read the blogs from: May 2018: Part 3; November 2016: Part 2; October 2015: Part 1. The reason I bring up these past blogs is that when I read about the...

A New World of Selfies, Part III

Written on May 21, 2018.

In 2011 an Indonesian monkey allegedly took a selfie. There ensued a battle for who owns the copyright. PETA filed suit in the Northern District Court in California stating it was an original work and the monkey, Naruto, had authorship. The wildlife photographer, John Slater, claimed ownership although he didn’t snap the picture but set-up the camera and has since been published in a book, “Wildlife Personalities.” Also involved in the mix is Wikimedia Commons who put the picture on their site...

A New World for Selfies, Part II

Written on November 17, 2016.

About a year ago, I wrote a blog regarding copyright ownership when an animal, in this case a macaque monkey in Indonesia, took a selfie in 2011. Three groups were battling – PETA, for the monkey who snapped the selfie; the photographer, who set up the camera; and groups like Wikipedia, who state the photo is public domain. To follow up, in January, 2016, a U.S. Court ruled that the monkey cannot own the copyright to the photographs, 2016 WL 362231, US District Court, N.D. California, Naruto...

A New World For Selfies

Written on November 18, 2015.

When I first saw this picture, I couldn’t resist reading further. What a face! How precious! I then got deeper into the story and the copyright issues involved, and the story became fascinating. Issue: In 2011, a monkey on an Indonesian island, allegedly took a selfie. Who owns the copyright? Some background on the three sides involved: First, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) filed a suit in a California Federal Court. It is looking for an order to have the proceeds of...