Wikimedia: will not remove monkey selfie, monkey owns it

[kiironobara]

Wikimedia refuses to remove animal selfie because monkey ‘owns’ the photo

Wikimedia has denied a photographer’s request to remove a “monkey selfie” photo because the monkey pressed the shutter button making the photo ineligible for copyright, according to the Telegraph.

Nature photographer David Slater was in Indonesia in 2011 when a crested black macaque stole his camera and took hundreds of photos, including the famous selfie that was featured in publications across the world.

Many of the photos were blurry shots of the jungle floor, but among the throwaways were the selfie that gave Slater worldwide attention.

Slater now faces a legal battle with Wikimedia after the images were added to the collection of royalty-free images. Wikimedia Commons is a collection of over 22 million images and videos that are in the public domain.

Wikimedia’s position is that because the monkey took the photo, he “owns” the photo. However, non-humans cannot own copyrights — which is why Wikimedia placed the photo in the public domain.

Slater told the Telegraph the decision to add the photo to the public domain library has “jeopardized his income.” However, Wikimedia lists the author as “the monkey on the photo.”

Wikimedia includes this caption under the photo:

“Taken by a macaque in Sulawesi, with David Slater’s camera. As the work was not created by a human author, it is not eligible for a copyright claim in the US. Non-humans cannot own copyrights. This file is ineligible for copyright and therefore in the public domain, because it consists entirely of information that is common property and contains no original authorship.”

According to the Telegraph, Slater is now preparing to take the issue to court.

You can view the comments regarding the deletion request on Wikimedia’s website.

[Kitty Nocturna]

The monkey may have taken, but I strongly feel the copyright justly belongs to the camera's owner, and that Wikipedia is just using the excuse to keep the photo up on the site. Indeed the copyright can't be owned by an animal that has no need for it in the first place. All the more reason for the discoverer of the photo and owner of the camera to 'inherit' the copyrights in the monkey's place. His happy little accident and his photo from his camera after the money had had its fun.

[Hasuki Aatisuto]

"I object to taking the photo down. None of the girl monkeys out there will see how attractive I am if they do so!"

[Kothlim]

You posted a pic on the internet and you expect people to respect your copy right? Intellectual property is bullshit in the first place. You may own the camera and any physical copies of the photo that you print but once the you put it out on the net its fair game. Be happy with the free publicity this has gotten you and just ******** off.

[salsadipluva]

Monkey owns David Slater for stealing camera.. caq caq caq...

[xScorpio22]

Mr. Slater should own the picture, it was originally his camera in the first place. How many cameras have been taken by another monkey, we don't know. And if there was you don't see them making a big deal out of them.

[JamesWN]

So... monkey steals camera, does all the monkeying around work, then person who gets camera back wants their monkey money and Wikimedia basically tells him 'suck macaque'. Got it.

...Probably should have had deals in place before posting photos maybe?