How a Monkey Almost “Stole” a Photographer’s Copyright

I want to talk about photographers’ rights to their own images — both moral and economic. It’s a broad and fascinating topic. But first, here’s a story you couldn’t possibly make up.

In 2011, British photographer David Slater was shooting crested macaques in the jungles of Sulawesi, Indonesia. He looked away for just a minute — and one particularly clever female macaque named Naruto grabbed his camera.

The animal turned out to be not only quick but strikingly photogenic: while Slater tried to reclaim his gear, Naruto managed to take an entire series of selfies. The images were so expressive they went viral around the world.

Naturally, the photographer sold them to an agency and briefly became famous. Then the real drama began.

Animal-rights activists from PETA filed a lawsuit, claiming that the true author of the photos was the monkey herself — meaning the rights and profits belonged to her, not to Slater.

Lawyers argued for years, from 2015 to 2018. Some insisted an animal couldn’t legally own copyright. Others argued such photos weren’t protected by copyright law at all. Many simply sympathized with Slater, who had become a hostage to his own viral success.

In the end, the court ruled that a monkey is not a person and cannot hold copyright. Still, Slater took the high road — he donated a quarter of his earnings to a fund protecting crested macaques.

The story seems funny until you realize how hard it can be to defend your own photos, even when you’re not in the jungle and not sharing your camera with a monkey.

Next time, we’ll look more closely at who truly owns the rights to a photograph — the photographer, the agency, the client, or the subject.

All photos © Wikipedia