# Monkey Selfie > Monkey Selfie is a 2011 viral photograph of a grinning Celebes crested macaque in Indonesia, taken with photographer David Slater's camera, that sparked a landmark copyright dispute over non-human authorship. The Monkey Selfie is a viral self-portrait photograph taken by a Celebes crested macaque using British wildlife photographer David Slater's camera in the jungles of Sulawesi, Indonesia. First going viral in July 2011, the grinning monkey photo sparked one of the most unusual copyright disputes in history, drawing in Slater, Wikimedia Commons, and PETA in a legal fight over whether a non-human animal could own a copyright. The case set legal precedent that still shapes debates around AI-generated art and non-human authorship today. ## Origin In 2011, British wildlife photographer David Slater traveled to the Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi to photograph endangered crested black macaques[9]. Slater, then 46 and from Coleford in Gloucestershire, spent three days shadowing a troop of about 25 macaques with a local guide, gradually gaining their trust[1]. Slater set up his Canon EOS 5D on a tripod with predictive autofocus, a motorized winding mechanism, and a flash gun, configuring the settings to capture facial close-ups if any of the curious monkeys approached[11]. He moved away from the camera, and the macaques moved in. They fingered the equipment, pressed buttons, and were fascinated by their own reflections in the large glass lens[11]. "They were quite mischievous, jumping all over my equipment," Slater told The Guardian. "One hit the button. The sound got his attention and he kept pressing it"[1]. One macaque, later nicknamed Naruto, took several remarkably clear photographs of herself[5]. Out of hundreds of shots, most were out of focus, but a handful were striking self-portraits[3]. The entire interaction lasted about 30 minutes before the dominant male in the group became agitated and Slater had to pull back[11]. - **Platform:** News media (Daily Mail, The Guardian, The Telegraph), Wikimedia Commons (copyright dispute) - **Creator:** David Slater (photographer/equipment owner), Naruto the macaque (shutter operator) - **Date:** 2011 ## Overview The Monkey Selfie refers to a series of photographs, most famously a sharp, close-up self-portrait showing a female Celebes crested macaque grinning directly into the camera with wide amber eyes and a distinctive punk-like crest of black hair. The image stands out for its uncanny resemblance to a human selfie, with the macaque appearing to pose deliberately. Slater's Canon EOS 5D DSLR was set up on a tripod with a wide-angle zoom lens at f/8 in aperture priority mode when the monkeys interacted with the equipment[2]. The resulting photos looked so intentional that their authenticity was questioned on social media, though Slater confirmed they were genuine[1]. ## How It Spread On July 4, 2011, the Daily Mail published "Cheeky monkey! Macaque borrows photographer's camera to take hilarious self-portraits," kicking off a wave of international media coverage[3]. That same day, The Guardian[1], The Telegraph, and Metro[14] all ran their own stories. The grinning macaque photo spread rapidly across social media and news aggregators. Just three days later, on July 7, technology blog TechDirt raised a pointed question: if Slater admitted he didn't take the photographs, could he legitimately claim copyright over them[6]? By July 12, Slater's news agency Cater News sent takedown notices demanding removal of the images[5]. This only amplified interest in the copyright angle, turning a funny animal photo into a genuine legal puzzle. On August 11, 2013, a Reddit user posted one of the photographs to r/pics, where it collected over 1,600 upvotes and 230 comments[5]. Meanwhile, several of the macaque selfies had been uploaded to Wikimedia Commons as public domain images, since their editors argued that a non-human creator could not hold copyright[7]. ## How to Use The Monkey Selfie is not a traditional meme template with a customizable format. Instead, people typically use the image in discussions about: - **Copyright and ownership debates:** The photo is often shared when discussing who owns creative works, especially in conversations about AI-generated art. Users post it alongside questions like "If a monkey can't own a copyright, can an AI?" - **Animal humor:** The grinning macaque is used as a reaction image for situations involving unexpected cleverness, happy accidents, or "nailing it on the first try." - **Legal absurdity:** The image surfaces whenever bizarre legal cases or unusual intellectual property disputes make the news. The photo is in the public domain under U.S. law, so anyone can freely use, share, or remix it without permission[7]. ## Cultural Impact The Monkey Selfie's greatest impact was legal, not memetic. The *Naruto v. Slater* case forced courts, legislators, and copyright offices worldwide to formally address whether non-human entities could be considered authors under the law[13]. The U.S. Copyright Office's decision to explicitly exclude animal-created works from protection set a precedent that now directly shapes the AI-generated art debate. In 2026, the same legal framework built around Naruto's selfie is being applied to works produced by image generators like DALL-E and Midjourney, with the Copyright Office citing the monkey selfie precedent when declining to register autonomously generated AI works[12]. The case also drew attention to the endangered status of the Celebes crested macaque. Slater noted that the photographs led to increased tourism to the Tangkoko reserve, with visitors hoping for similar encounters. Ironically, the resulting attention meant that close contact with the macaques had to be discouraged to protect the animals from biting incidents and disease transmission[9]. ITV's legal expert Christina Michalos observed that under UK law, the outcome might have differed: "Where an artistic work is generated by a computer, the person who makes the arrangements for creation is the copyright owner," she noted, suggesting Slater could have had a stronger claim on grounds of fairness since he owned the equipment and configured the camera settings[8]. ## Fun Facts - Slater's camera was a Canon EOS 5D set to aperture priority at f/8 with a wide-angle zoom lens. He also rigged a flash gun and predictive autofocus to maximize his chances of getting a usable shot if the monkeys approached[2]. - The macaques were initially scared by the shutter sound but quickly returned, drawn to the noise and their own reflections in the lens[1]. - Slater described the monkeys' interaction with the camera as "chimping," a photography term for obsessively checking your LCD screen, which took on a literal meaning in this context[11]. - The settlement between PETA and Slater in 2017 was not a court order but a private agreement to end the costly litigation. Slater chose to donate 25% of future revenues to macaque habitat protection as a practical business decision[13]. - The Celebes crested macaque is critically endangered, threatened by forest clearance, crop-raiding persecution, and bushmeat poaching. Slater noted that the monkeys could still be found at local markets sold as meat[11]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the Monkey Selfie? The Monkey Selfie is a series of self-portrait photographs taken by a Celebes crested macaque named Naruto using British photographer David Slater's camera equipment in Sulawesi, Indonesia[1]. The most famous image shows the macaque grinning directly into the lens. ### Where did the Monkey Selfie come from? The photographs were taken during Slater's wildlife photography trip to the Tangkoko Batuangus Nature Reserve in Sulawesi, Indonesia. He set up his camera on a tripod and the curious macaques began pressing the shutter button[9]. ### What does the Monkey Selfie mean? Beyond being a funny animal photo, the Monkey Selfie became a symbol of the complex questions surrounding authorship and copyright in the digital age. It forced legal systems to define whether non-human entities can be considered creators[13]. ### How do you use the Monkey Selfie? The image is commonly shared in discussions about copyright, AI authorship, and creative ownership. Since it's in the public domain, anyone can use it freely for any purpose[7]. ### Is the Monkey Selfie still popular? The image itself is widely recognized and the legal case it spawned is frequently cited in copyright law discussions, particularly around AI-generated content. It's a classic piece of internet and legal history[12]. ### Who owns the copyright to the Monkey Selfie? No one. U.S. courts ruled that non-human animals cannot hold copyright, and since Slater did not press the shutter, the images were declared public domain[8]. The U.S. Copyright Office explicitly lists "a photograph taken by a monkey" as an example of a non-copyrightable work[5]. ### How much money did David Slater lose? Slater told the BBC in 2014 that he had lost at least £10,000 in licensing income after the images were declared public domain on Wikipedia[4]. The prolonged legal battle with PETA eventually left him bankrupt[9]. ### What was PETA's role in the Monkey Selfie case? PETA filed a lawsuit in September 2015 on behalf of the macaque Naruto, arguing that the monkey should be recognized as the legal copyright holder. The case was dismissed in January 2016, and the Ninth Circuit upheld the dismissal in 2018[9]. ### How did the case settle? In September 2017, Slater and PETA reached a settlement in which Slater agreed to donate 25% of future revenues from the photographs to charities protecting crested macaque habitats in Indonesia[5]. ### Why does the Monkey Selfie matter for AI art? The U.S. Copyright Office used the same logic from the monkey selfie case when ruling that works generated autonomously by AI cannot receive copyright protection. The central question is identical: if a non-human entity creates something, who is the author[12]? ### What camera was used? A Canon EOS 5D DSLR with a wide-angle zoom lens, set to aperture priority mode at f/8[2]. ### What species is the monkey? The Celebes crested macaque (*Macaca nigra*), a critically endangered species native to the northeastern tip of Sulawesi and nearby islands. They are known for their distinctive punk-like hair crests and reddish eyes[1]. ### Could UK law have given a different result? Possibly. UK copyright law recognizes "the person who makes the arrangements for creation" as the copyright owner for computer-generated works. Legal experts suggested this provision could have been extended to Slater's case on grounds of fairness[8]. ## References 1. [Shutter-happy monkey turns photographer | Animals | The Guardian]() 2. [Ape-rture priority photographer plays down monkey reports | Amateur Photographer]() 3. [SULAWESI MONKEY photographs by David J Slater]() 4. [Monkey Selfie - Know Your Meme]() 5. [Selfie]() 6. [The Story Behind the Famous Monkey Selfie]() 7. [Monkey in the Middle: Who Owns the Monkey "Selfie"? - Office of Copyright]() 8. [The Monkey Who Owned a Selfie - by Tharique Azeez]() 9. [Mailbag: What is going on with Wikipedia and the monkey selfie? We love monkeys and photographers, let us tell you more… – Wikimedia Foundation]() 10. [Photographer’s court battle over monkey selfie - 1EarthMedia]() 11. [Wikipedia Defends the Monkey Selfie | The New Yorker]() 12. [Monkey Selfie Legal Battles Continue]() 13. [Category:Monkey selfie - Wikimedia Commons]() 14. [Monkey Business: Can A Monkey License Its Copyrights To A News Agency? | Techdirt]() 15. [Photographer 'lost £10,000' in Wikipedia monkey 'selfie' row - BBC News]() 16. [Black macaque takes self-portrait: Monkey borrows photographer's camera | Daily Mail Online]() 17. [Cheeky black macaque steals camera to take self portrait | Metro News]() 18. [Ape-rture priority photographer plays down monkey reports | Amateur Photographer]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/monkey-selfie Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library