We’ve all tried to take the perfect selfie in the hopes our beautiful mugs will go viral.
That’s exactly what happened to Naruto, an Indonesian crested black macaque monkey who took his own picture after nabbing a photographer’s camera.
But instead of likes and retweets, the selfie gained a class action lawsuit on Naruto’s behalf.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed a lawsuit as Naruto’s representative against David J. Slater, the photographer who owned the camera and subsequently sold the selfies, in a United States Federal Court in California on Sept. 21. PETA claims Naruto is not only the author of his selfies but that he should receive compensation for them.
The Editorial Board believes this case is monkey business and it’s a wonder if any judge won’t laugh the animal rights organization out of court.
Don’t get us wrong, we all love Naruto’s toothy grin and we’ll second CNN legal analyst Paul Callan’s comment that Naruto is “one good-looking monkey.”
But Naruto and his selfie have no business in court.
What exactly does Naruto get out of this lawsuit if he were to win the case? Maybe he’ll just get a bushel of bananas out of the deal or a nice hammock to swing in.
How about a selfie stick?
According to the blog on PETA.org, the organization plans to “administer the proceeds of ‘monkey selfie’ sales for the benefit of Naruto and his community, without compensation.”
The blog claims Naruto experiences “exploitation” at the hands of Slater and other outlets that benefit from his pictures.
PETA writes, “If this lawsuit succeeds, it will be the first time that a nonhuman animal is declared the owner of property (the copyright of the ‘monkey selfie’), rather than being declared a piece of property himself or herself.”
The hope is Naruto’s case will establish a legal precedent for future animal rights cases, but it’s unlikely this issue will accomplish such a feat.
Human rights and animal rights are not interchangeable. Animal rights establish basic needs for animals in order for them to live happy, healthy and fulfilled lives.
Copyright and the laws that protect it are recent human concepts that cannot be applied, nor explained, to a monkey.
Sorry PETA, but Naruto didn’t know what a camera was when he took his picture, he doesn’t know what a selfie is and he certainly can’t tell the difference between what’s protected by copyright and what’s in public domain.
According to Callan, the selfie falls under public domain since neither Slater nor Naruto own the picture.
Not only is this case pointless but it serves as a distraction and publicity stunt by an organization known for seeking shock value.
This element of the organization reared its ugly head when PETA asked Ben & Jerry’s to use human breast milk instead of dairy cow milk in its ice cream in 2008.
Or when it wanted to place a Spanish billboard that translates, “If the Border Patrol doesn’t get you, the chicken and burgers will. Go vegan,” in the same year.
And we saw it in 2014 when PETA distributed graphic comics of mutilated cows to children in a Los Angeles elementary school.
While PETA busies itself with unsound lawsuits, animals in need are left unattended.
We aren’t trying to change PETA’s mind. It seems like hope was lost on this organization a long time ago.
But the Editorial Board wants the viewers of this selfie to understand this organization’s flawed and unfounded claims.
The focus should remain on Naruto and animals like him who could benefit from human assistance instead of a picture that belongs to no one.
