PETA Sued Photographer Claiming Monkey Should Own Copyright to Its Selfies

In one of the strangest legal battles involving animal rights and intellectual property, PETA sued wildlife photographer David Slater in 2015 on behalf of a crested macaque monkey named Naruto. The case centered on selfies the monkey took after grabbing Slater's camera in Indonesia. PETA argued that since the monkey pressed the shutter button, Naruto should own the copyright, not Slater. The case went through multiple court levels, with judges ultimately ruling that only humans can hold copyrights under current law. The U.S. Copyright Office explicitly stated that works created by animals cannot be copyrighted. The legal battle bankrupted Slater, who had already faced years of controversy over the photos. The case sparked debates about animal personhood, copyright law in the digital age, and whether PETA's tactics helped or hurt animal rights causes. The monkey selfie became iconic, even as the legal dispute ruined the photographer's career.