UKC

If a monkey takes a selfie, who owns the image - the monkey or the man with the camera? Now we have an answer to surely the most important legal question of modern times: it's neither.

The US copyright office has ruled that any work created by an animal- monkey or otherwise- as well as plants, nature, divine or supernatural beings does not belong to them or anyone else.

If the work is not created by a human being, it can not be copyrighted.

The copyright office specifically referenced the “monkey selfie” case, in which a British photographer claimed ownership of the image taken by a black macaque when it swiped his camera after it was used in a Wikipedia entry.

http://www.cityam.com/1408699840/monkey-selfie-macaque-does-not-own-image-n...

In reply to winhill:

Who the F are they to decide on what a British man (or a monkey ) owns or does not own?

In reply to Seocan:

I would the US copyright office is the relevant body to decide on cases relating to copyright in the US?

In reply to Seocan:


It seems some American complained about the Wiki removal.

But I wonder what the view is on remote triggers? I could imagine a lawyer putting together a decent case that a remote trigger, IR, Motion, pressure pad, was just an extension of the shutter button and therefore no copyright exists on those either.

In reply to winhill:

I bet the monkey is gutted

In reply to winhill:

thar was the photogrhers case, he set up the whole situation. It was no accidental occurence.

In reply to Seocan:


...do I detect a hint of a West Country accent?

In reply to winhill:

The US copyright office are kunts.

In reply to winhill:

Wouldn't have thought so because a human has to set it up to act that way otherwise if I triggered your motion sensor I'd be the copyright holder of the image taken on your camera.

For what its worth I think the US copyright decision is the correct one.

In reply to Seocan:


So his claims that the monkey took the pictures after taking his camera where false?

It seems that a told a pack of fibs to sell the pictures and ultimately got his just desserts when people believed his bu//$hit

In reply to Ava Adore:


Earned peanuts apparently!!