ALL RIGHT MONKEY!
Crazy selfie row settled
THE bonkers legal row over a selfie taken by a monkey has finally been settled.
Animal charity Peta was branded “ridiculous” for suing in the US on behalf of the macaque, which took several sneaky snaps on wildlife photographer David Slater’s camera.
The wacky photos delighted nature lovers and were shared around the world while Mr Slater also published them in his book.
Peta demanded the animal be “declared the author and owner of his photograph”.
It wanted any cash raised to benefit the macaque, called Naruto.
The charity said: “US copyright law doesn’t prohibit an animal from owning a copyright, and since Naruto took the photo, he owns the copyright, as any human would.” But Mr Slater, of Chepstow, Monmouthshire, argued he had engineered the pictures by spending three days with a troop of monkeys in Indonesia to gain their trust and giving them the camera. Mr Slater has now agreed to donate 25% of future money from the images to charities protecting the monkeys in Indonesia. A joint statement said: “Peta and David Slater agree that this case raises important issues about expanding legal rights for non-human animals.”