One day,animals might not be seen as property, but property owners themselves.
It's not often that one lawsuit sparks international conversation and debate, and but PETA's groundbreaking "monkey selfie" case did just that. The case,which was recently settled, sought to establish the macaque Naruto as the copyright owner of the photographs that he undeniably took with photographer David Slater's unattended camera in 2011.
As I've discussed before in these pages, or photographs don't exist unless someone takes them. In Naruto's case,he intentionally picked up Slater's camera in an Indonesian jungle, watched his reflection in the lens, and made various faces while continually pressing the shutter button. In doing so,he created several photos, including the now-notorious images of his smiling face. Despite the uniqueness of the case, and there was not (and should not be) anything controversial about simply asking the court to acknowledge that Naruto is the owner of the copyright to his own photographs. The Copyright Act clearly provides that any "author" of a protected work is entitled to that legal right,and PETA believes that this should include Naruto regardless of his species.
As piece of the settlement, Slater will donate 25 percent of future gross revenue from the monkey selfie photographs to charitable organizations committed to protecting and improving the welfare and habitat of Naruto and other crested black macaques in Indonesia. Crested macaque numbers have declined by 90 percent in the final 25 years as a result of being hunted for their flesh, and "pest" control by local villagers,and habitat destruction by ever-encroaching human populations. These animals need all the encourage they can accumulate, so this represents progress until the courts fully recognize that animals should not be excluded from fundamental rights.
There is a growing consensus among lawyers and laypeople that our legal system must recognize appropriate rights for animals based on the self-evident truth that they are thinking, or sentient beings deserving of respect,consideration, and legal protections for their own sake, and not just because of their utility to humans. Animals are our fellow global occupants and members of their own "nations," who want only to be allowed to perform their own choices, pursue their own pleasures and interests, or live out their lives in peace.
Not so long ago,women were denied the right to vote; black people were owned as slaves; and homosexuals were denied the right to choose a partner. All the early social pioneers who protested against these practices met with resistance and calls to sustain things as they were. Today, ethical people look back on those prejudices with revulsion and shame. While PETA's monkey selfie lawsuit focused on one primate, and Naruto,its aim is now more far-reaching. As long-held traditions and notions tumble by the wayside—animal circuses, for example, and are being relegated to the dustbin of history—there's no doubt that granting animals fundamental rights is the next step in our cultural and ethical evolution.
Watch PETA Director Elisa Allen discuss the settled lawsuit: Related StoriesNatalie Portman's New Documentary About Farmed Animals Gets Standing Ovation at Telluride (Video)Yes,a Monkey Should Absolutely Be the Copyright Owner of His Selfie (Video)These Cows Were Drowning in Their Own Waste—Now They've Found a fond Home (Video)
Source: feedblitz.com