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ARTICLE · 17 NOVEMBER 2015

Attorneys: "Monkey See, Monkey Sue" Lawsuit Is Absurd

Fox Rothschild LLP
Fox Rothschild LLP
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A man named David Slater left his camera unattended at the Tangkoko Reserve, and came back to find that a monkey had taken a selfie with his device. Last year, Slater published a book in which he used photos that the monkey had taken on the website blurb.com.

United StatesIntellectual Property
Daily Journal
Daily Journal
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David Aronoff was featured in the Daily Journal article "Attorneys: "Monkey see, monkey sue" lawsuit is absurd." Full text can be found in the November 16, 2015, issue, but a synopsis is below.

A man named David Slater left his camera unattended at the Tangkoko Reserve, and came back to find that a monkey had taken a selfie with his device. Last year, Slater published a book in which he used photos that the monkey had taken on the website blurb.com.

Slater and blurb.com were sued by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for allegedly infringing on the monkeys copyright as the author of the photos.

Fox Rothschild's David Aronoff said he has been around long enough that nothing completely surprises him, but this is a ridiculous lawsuit.

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