What Will We Fight About Next?
While David Slater, a professional photographer, was taking photographs of monkeys, one of them nabbed his camera and took hundreds of photos before the camera could be retrieved.Many of these photos were blurry but a grinning selfie hit the headlines all over the world.
Wikipedia used this photo on their site without permission of the photographer. When Mr Slater asked them to take it down as it has led to a loss of earnings, the Wikipedia management claimed that as an animal took the photo, Mr Slater does not own the copyright. Despite repeated complaints, they have refused to take the image down - and even offer a link for users to download the original file for free.
This leads to many questions. What right has Wikipwedia on the said picture? It was not their equipment being used and they contributed nothing to the expenses of the photographic expedition. Could it be argued that the monkey was temporary in Mr Slater’s employment?
I can recall reading an article many years ago about a ship owner that won a lawsuit against a salvage company after a cat was found on board of a salvaged ship. The crew abandoned the ship earlier, thinking that it will sink. The ship did not sink and was salvaged. The shipping company claimed that the cat found on board was in the company’s employment and therefore the ship was not abandoned. The court ruled in favor of the shipping line.
Mr Slater can sue the Wikipedia for statutory damages of up to $30,000 and apparently have a US lawyer lined up.
What a strange thing to fight about!
Wishing you a great day!