Page 8 - Amateur Photographer - August 5, 2017

News special Even though Slater’s team won
the first round, the appeal won’t
be concluded in the short term.
Monkey selfie ‘My lawyers say I could be waiting
months for a judgment, so I am
still dangling in a twilight zone. I
have no idea whether I will have to
pay PETA’s costs if the appeal is
upheld. I guess all my earnings
malarkey from the image over the last six
years, which is about £15,000,
would go to them.’
Slater claims he has already
spent a lot of money and time
trying to confirm his copyright, and
finds the PETA case a massive
An embittered David Slater, the man behind the distraction from what he sees as
‘monkey selfie’ image, is thinking of giving up his real battle with Wikipedia – an
organisation he describes as
photography as a career. Geoff Harris finds out more ‘institutionally arrogant’. ‘Wikipedia
is probably going to issue a press
release if the appeal is thrown out
IT’S BEEN six years since I’ve lost £10,000 or more in travelling to the US,’ Slater explains saying of course nobody can hold
David Slater managed to get a income. It’s killing my business.’ from his base in Chepstow. ‘I didn’t copyright on this image. They are
grinning macaque monkey to take Things got even messier in 2015, understand half of it, and even the going to try and make even more
a self-portrait, a picture better when People for the Ethical judges are baffled. The judge kept capital out of it. There is a big
known as the ‘monkey selfie,’ Treatment of Animals (PETA) sued asking “where is the injury to the anti-copyright lobby out there that
but any early joy at its global Slater on behalf of the monkey it monkey?” much to the amusement want everything on the internet to
popularity was soon replaced by dubbed Naruto, claiming it was the of the courtroom, which is full of be free. It’s very depressing.’
exasperation – and expensive rightful owner of the copyright. A law students. There’s even a
legal wrangling. AP readers may judge ruled against PETA in 2016, question over whether Naruto is Success story
recall that Slater soon got involved saying that the relevant copyright law the right monkey!’ The aggravation surrounding the
in a major legal spat with did not cover animals, but PETA Slater first heard that PETA was monkey selfie has clearly taken its
Wikipedia over copyright and appealed. As the courtroom suing him on behalf of Naruto when toll on Slater, both personally and
whether the image was ‘royalty arguments drag on in the US, AP he read a story from an Associated financially, but he has no regrets
free’. As he told the BBC in 2014, contacted Slater for a catch-up. Press reporter. At first his lawyers about taking the image. ‘I love the
‘I made £2,000 [for that picture] thought it was a joke. ‘Then a man picture. It hangs on my wall, and
in the first year after it was taken. No joke in a suit from a local law firm came keeps me smiling. Not only that, a
After it went on Wikipedia all ‘I’ve been watching the round and served me the papers. recent National Geographic article
interest in buying it went. It’s hard proceedings online as I am not I opened them in front of him and suggested it’s helped to save the
to put a figure on it but I reckon going to risk any more money by we had a bit of a giggle.’ species – it’s encouraged a lot of
ecotourism, so it’s in the interests
of the locals to help preserve the
macaques. I took the risk getting
the picture, nobody paid me to go
© DAVID SLATER
out there, and while it has proved
to be very expensive, it’s great that
the expense has made some
positive difference.’
To add to Slater’s woes, he
suspects the Press Association (PA)
distributed the image without his
permission (or indeed the monkey’s,
should PETA’s appeal be upheld).
A spokesperson from PA Images
responded, ‘PA Images licensed the
image through a reseller agreement
with one of our distribution
partners. We removed the picture
as soon as we became aware of
the licensing issues around it.’
Slater is seriously thinking of
giving up on photography as a
full-time career. ‘I don’t want to,
but I am almost being forced into
this. I’ve run out of funds and my
camera gear is failing. The bodies
David Slater can also see the funny side of the story and still manages to sound cheerful and positive on the phone and lenses are old, and the

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