Monkey See Monkey Redo: The marvelous monkey copyright case is back from the dead

Monkey selfie, now affirmed to be in the public domain
It’s the bizarre case that bizarrely won’t die.

When a 9th Circuit panel ruled in April of this year that David Slater was insulated from Naruto’s copyright infringement lawsuit because Naruto is a monkey (yes, this is true), you might have thought the case was over.

In fact, you might have thought it was over after the lower court ruled against the monkey.

For that matter, you would have been forgiven for expressing surprise that the case ever made it as far as trial.

But after nearly four years of litigation, and two near-death experiences, Naruto et al v. David Slater refuses to die. As the ABA Journal explains, one of the judges has asked for a rare en banc hearing — that is, a hearing before the entire court.

Such a hearing could set aside the panel’s April decision.

Both sides — Mr. David Slater, a (human) photographer, and Naruto, a Crested Macaque assisted in court by PETA — were given 21 days to file briefs.

Apparently it’s not just cats that have nine lives.

[Update on August 31, 2018: The court declined to re-hear the case en banc, so the case is once again dead.]

About J.M. Hoffman

A prolific writer and avid photographer, J.M. Hoffman picked up his first camera when he was eight years old. And even though he abhors a cliche, he never looked back. Acclaimed as a "master raconteur" who writes with a "flair" (Times Literary Supplement of London), Hoffman authored two non-fiction books and contributed to over a dozen others before writing The Warwick Files. He continues to write fiction and non-fiction. In addition to writing and traveling the world lecturing about his books, Hoffman has also directed a dance troupe, taught darkroom technique, and explored Patagonia on horseback. From time to time he can be seen playing table tennis poorly at the WTCC. He lives just north of New York City.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


X
Lux Umbraque is in beta. Most features are working. Some are not, and some basic content is still being uploaded.... (keep reading.)