MCDS LRC
  • Home
    • Summer Reading >
      • k & 1st Summer Reading
      • 2nd & 3rd Summer Reading
      • 4th Summer Reading
      • 5th Summer Reading
      • 6th Summer Reading
      • 7th Summer Reading
      • 8th Summer Reading
  • Blogs
    • Librarian Picks
    • Student Picks >
      • Submit Reviews
  • New Books
  • Resources
    • Black Lives Matter
    • Distance Learning Resources
    • Databases
    • Student Resources by Grade >
      • 3rd Grade
      • 5th Grade
      • 7th grade
      • 8th Writing
      • 8th American Decades
      • Kelli Rice Spanish Resources
    • Building Info
    • Community Connections 365
    • Volunteer Resources
  • Lower School
  • Upper School
  • Parent & Teacher

MCDS Library

Overdrive/Sora (eBooks)
Databases 
Library Catalog
Blog
Librarian Picks (Favorite Books)
Student Picks
Lower School Corner
Upper School Corner
​Parent & Teacher Corner
New Books by Genre
Distance Learning

​

e-mail the librarians

The Saga of the Monkey Selfie

9/9/2014

 
Picture
When a celebes crested macaque took this picture of itself, it set off a storm of publicity that would end in a ruling from the US Copyright Office.  

It all started when nature photographer David Slater went to Indonesia to photograph a group of macaques.  After the monkeys got used to his presence some bolder ones decided to grab his camera.  Slater decided to set up the camera so that it would be prepared to get a good facial close up if another monkey grabbed his camera and eventually one did.  

He enjoyed watching the macaque play with its new toy and while most of the pictures it took weren't very good, one where the monkey turned the camera on itself turned out fantastic.  It was so great that it caught the eye of one Wikipedia volunteer editor who decided to upload it to the online encyclopedia.  This added it to its Wikimedia Commons database of images to share freely.

The editor reasoned that because the monkey took the picture and only humans can own copyright the picture is therefore in the public domain (images that are free for anyone to use.)  But David Slater disagreed.  He argued that the monkey selfie never would have happened if he hadn't brought his equipment there, got the monkeys acclimated to him, noticed what they were doing, and set up the right lens, etc to get a good shot.  

Slater asked Wikipedia to remove the image.   After discussing the issue, the editors denied his claim.  It is still available on wikimedia commons, credited to the unnamed macaque and listed as being in the public domain.  The latest compendium of practices issued by the US Copyright Office says that it will not register works made by non-human animals and even specifically lists "a photograph taken by a monkey" in its examples.  

What do you think?  Should Slater own the copyright to the image because he arranged for the shot to be taken?  Should pictures taken by monkeys belong to everyone?  What might this mean for professional photographers and their incentive to produced shots like these?  What might it mean for amateurs looking for media to freely remix?  Let us know what you think in the comments.

References

Gibbs, Samuel. "Monkey Business: Macaque Selfie Can't Be Copyright, Say US and UK." The Guardian. The Guardian, 22 Aug. 2014. Web. 9 Sept. 2014. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/aug/22/monkey-business-macaque-selfie-cant-be-copyrighted-say-us-and-uk

Stewart, Louise. "Wikimedia Says When a Monkey Takes a Selfie, No One Owns It." Newsweek. Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2014. Web. 9 Sept. 2014. http://www.newsweek.com/lawyers-dispute-wikimedias-claims-about-monkey-selfie-copyright-265961

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    African Americans
    African Americans
    Apps
    Authors
    Biography
    Creativity
    Current Display
    Current Display
    Digital Literacy
    English
    Events
    Folktales
    Gender
    History
    In Focus
    Infographics
    Innovation
    In The News
    Library Class
    Monthly Reports
    Monthly Reports
    New Books
    Newsletters
    Peace
    Poetry
    Professional
    Roundups
    Science
    Staff Picks
    Tech
    @the Lrc
    @the Lrc
    This Week In History
    Writing

    Archives

    November 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    May 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011

Library Blog

Librarian Picks

Databases

Lower School Corner

Upper School Corner

Parent & Teacher Corner