Monkey-selfie lawsuit finally ends: Court affirms adorable macaque can’t sue

A federal appeals court in San Francisco ruled Monday that Naruto, a "crested macaque," does not have legal standing to file a copyright claim against a nature photographer, as Naruto is not a person.

The case dates back to 2011, when British nature photographer David Slater was on a shoot on the Tangkoko reserve in Indonesia. Naruto somehow swiped Slater's camera and managed to snap a few pictures. Slater later published a book, including some of the so-called "monkey selfie" images.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the advocacy group seeking to represent Naruto, then filed a lawsuit, saying that Naruto's copyright of the image had been violated. In January 2016, a federal district judge in San Francisco ruled that Naruto had no standing: not being a person, he could not bring a lawsuit.

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