The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' request to bring a copyright claim on behalf of a macaque monkey.

In a follow-up to a lower court case (highlighted previously by the Jester's Courtroom) that ruled against the animal-rights organization in its lawsuit against a wildlife photographer over copyright ownership of a series of selfies snapped by an Indonesian money named Naruto, the appellate court ruled that animals have no legal ability to hold copyright claims. According to news reports, Naruto took the photos of himself after finding the camera in a reserve. The photographer, David Slater, had placed the camera with the hope of encouraging the animals to find it and take photos.

In a further admonition of the organization, the court questioned PETA's motives for bringing the case. "PETA seems to employ Naruto as an unwitting pawn in it ideological goals," the court wrote in a footnote to its decision.

PETA's general counsel, Jeff Kerr, commented after the ruling that the opinion misses the point that Naruto took the photos and should be the owner of such under the U.S. Copyright Act but he "is discriminated against simply because he's a nonhuman animal."

—Source: Wall Street Journal