Photographer is broke: "The famous Ape-Selfie has ruined me"

Nobody owns the copyright of this photo - neither the photographer nor the ape
Image: David Slater or Naruto


The running lawsuit for copyright of the famous selfie of the macaque "Naruto", which is running since years, has ruined the photographer who took the picture. He could only follow the hearing on Wednesday in San Francisco via live stream - staying there is too expensive, says David Slater to the "Guardian".

The British photographer David Slater produced a series of animal pictures on the Indonesian island Sulawesi in the year of 2011. After he had built up the camera with the tripod and had gone away for some while, the six years old macaque "Naruto" has taken the camera and shot some photos with it - among others also pictures of him self.

The photos got viral fast - in a majority of cases without the permission of Slater, which has cost him a lot of money, also because only very few people bought his book, but also because he didn't get anything in reward from the various usages of the pictures or especially from the famous one.

Wikimedia refuses to delete the picture from their website
Image: commons.wikimedia.org


PeTA instituted proceedings in the name of "Naruto"

According to Slater he should own the copyright of the photo, but the animal welfare organisation PeTA doesn't agree and instituted proceedings in the name of "Naruto" in the USA. The macaque has to be declared as author and owner of his photo, because "Naturo" has taken the photo and therefor the copyright should be given to him, PeTA argues.

In January of 2016 the court dismissed the case. Neither Slater nor the ape can claim any rights, according to the court. PeTA instantly turned to the court of appeals which had a hearing in this case last Wednesday.

David Slater's lawyer Andrew Dhuey (left)
Image: AP


My daughter should have inherited this copyright

At the end of last week Slater told the "Guardian", that he could not afford to take part on the court hearing. Neither he could afford the lawyer - who pleaded his case for over three years now - nor could he afford to buy a new camera equipment. He doesn't own a car, nothing he could leave behind for his seven years of daughter, if he would have to die tomorrow. His plan was to give the copyrights to his daughter, but now the photos are not worth anything.

Every photographer dreams about such a photo.

If everybody who has used this photo would have given me only one Pound, I would have about 40 million Pounds. Trough this income I could have spent a life in comfort, but that's not the case right now.

He tries to earn some money differently:

I try to become a tennis coach. Seriously, I think about walking some dogs. At the moment I don't even earn the money to pay income taxes.

The right ape should sue me

A last gleam of hope stays: to convince the court, that the ape "Naruto" which PeTA is legally representing is not the macaque that took the photo.

I am absolutely sure, that the ape that took the photo was female and also the age of the ape is not correct. I am definitely sure, that it is very important for the American court system that the right ape is suing me.