Why Naruto is making the headlines again

I’m sorry, who?

Remember the macaque monkey who became famous for taking a ‘selfie’ in 2011?

Vaguely!

In 2011, Naruto fired off several photos, most of them blurry and useless, using a camera left unattended by photographer David Slater. But among those images was the now internationally famous ‘selfie’. Slater self-published the photo in a wildlife book.

Ok, what about Naruto now?

Apparently, the macaque cannot own the copyright to the photograph because he is not human. A US judge in San Francisco has ruled this in a suit brought by animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals ( PETA) on behalf of the monkey.

There was a legal suit regarding this?

Yeah. PETA brought the case in September last year on behalf of sixyear-old Naruto against Slater.

What did PETA really demand?

They argued that Naruto should be declared owner of the photos and receive damages for copyright infringement that would be used for habitat preservation.

If Naruto can’t have the copyrights, then who can?

The US copyright office said that works "produced by nature, animals, or plants" can't be granted copyright protection.

I wonder what the organisation will do next.

Calling themselves the 'next friend' to Naruto, the group is reviewing its legal options and has vowed to keep fighting for the copyright.

Sigh! Taking selfies is no monkey business then.

Especially if someone like PETA is on a mission to photobomb it.