San Francisco judge says Naruto the monkey can't own copyright to famous selfie

Monkeys can't own copyrights, even if it's for a selfie shot.

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U.S. District Judge William Orrick said Wednesday that Naruto, the crested macaque monkey who swiped a British nature photographer's camera during an Indonesian jungle shoot in 2011, can't own intellectual property rights to a handful of selfies he took.

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The six-year-old monkey was being represented by PETA, who was also behind the lawsuit against photographer David Slater and his publication, the Blurb of San Francisco.

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PETA was seeking monetary damages for copyright infringement from Slater and the Blurb for publishing the selfie shots in a wildlife book.

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However, neither the monkey nor Slater can own copyright. The U.S. Copyright Office said that works "produced by nature, animals, or plants" can't be granted copyright protection.

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"I'm not the person to weigh into this. This is an issue for Congress and the president," Orrick said in court, according to Arstechnica. "If they think animals should have the right of copyright they're free, I think, under the Constitution, to do that."

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Orrick said he would dismiss the suit and that PETA's argument for the monkey was a stretch. Naruto's selfies are currently under public domain in the U.S.

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While Slater and the Blurb's attorneys want the case dismissed, PETA is already making plans if it prevails.

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The animal rights group said that any proceeds generated from the monkey selfies would be used to assist Naruto and his habitat.