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Can A Monkey Hold A Copyright?

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep. An old idea says, give enough monkeys typewriters, and one will type the works of Shakespeare. Don't know if that's true, but we do know if you give enough monkeys cameras, one will snap the perfect selfie because Naruto did this in 2011. A nature photographer published the photo in a book. And now People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals has sued for copyright infringement. A San Francisco court is deciding if the rights belong to the monkey. It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.