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About six years ago photographrapher David Slater was taking pictures of monkeys and got a monkey to take a selfie with his equipment. The case has been in and out of court over copyright issues because while it was Slater's equipment and he set up the situation some claim that it is the monkey who holds copyright over the image while others claim that no one at all has copyright over the image. A serious attempt is being made to use the case to push for copyright and other ownership rights for non-humans. The image is now being use to try to force the issue of non-human rights, using methods that might do a lot of damage along the way.
Ars Technica is about the only site to notice so far. They write that the case is no laughing matter. PETA's quest for animals to own property could end the web as we know it. Specifically this image has become relevant to the future of the WWW and the Internet because the strategy chosen involves first asserting that companies that supply tools for people to self-publish their own works can be held liable for the content posted or uploaded by third parties.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by The Shire on Tuesday July 18 2017, @11:08PM (1 child)
If this monkey is granted the benefit of copyright law, then it must also be held accountable to obey all the laws of men in it's location. We can start by charging it with the theft of the camera. If the law applies to animals, then animals must abide by the law. When you apply this simple rule suddenly the case is revealed as the mockery it has always been.
(Score: 2) by TheLink on Wednesday July 19 2017, @07:18AM
Yeah. That's what a lot of the stupid "same rights for animals" activists ignore. If you are going to give all animals the same rights as humans, then they also have the responsibilities. They too have to be punished for depriving the other animals of their rights.
Lots of animals are murdering and eating each other. That includes most (all?) baleen whales - they eat krill, and other small animals.
I'd put up with going vegetarian if PETA and other similar idiots are willing to execute all those endangered carnivores for murder.
Good luck putting and keeping a bluewhale or bluefin tuna in prison on a _vegetarian_ diet without killing it:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/why-farmed-fish-are-taking-over-our-dinner-plates-1415984616 [wsj.com]
https://www.economist.com/news/asia/21707570-fish-farming-latest-slim-hope-japans-favourite-fish-breeding-bluefin [economist.com]