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ARTICLE · 14 DECEMBER 2015

PETA And Opponents Sling Arguments In "Monkey Selfie" Case

Sullivan & Worcester
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We reported in September on the lawsuit filed in California over the so-called "Monkey selfie" that underscored some of the limits of copyright protection.

United StatesIntellectual Property
Nicholas O'Donnell
Nicholas O'Donnell
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We reported in September on the lawsuit filed in California over the so-called "Monkey selfie" that underscored some of the limits of copyright protection.  One of the defendants, Blurb, Inc., the publisher of photographer David Slater's picture, has moved to dismiss, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has responded.  The back and forth is, well, something akin to the infamous barrel full of monkeys.

The issue first rose to prominence because "A photograph taken by a monkey" was included in the Third Edition of the Compendium of U.S. Copyright Office Practices as an example of something incapable of copyright.  The Complaint, brought on behalf of "Naruto," framed its claims like this:

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