Chewing the Fat with Jeff Fisher - 7/29/17 - David Slater Talks About His Monkey Photos

Episode Date: July 29, 2017

Photographer David Slater joins Jeffy to discuss his work and the litigation he continues to face.  PETA has been in litigation with Slater, the photographer responsible for the viral “monkey selfie” photo that swept the internet a few years ago. What they don't realize is that Slater did the monkey population a favor with the "monkey selfie." Follow Jeffy on Twitter: @JeffyMRA Like Jeffy on Facebook: www.facebook.com/JeffFisherRadio Follow Jeffy on Instagram: @jeffymra Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Blaze Radio Network On Demand. The Jeff Fisher Show. Saturday mornings, 9 to noon Eastern. On the Blaze Radio Network. A couple weeks ago, I told you about a story out of the UK and here in the United States as well, as it reached across the pond, about the monkey selfie case. And PETA issuing their press release.

and how the photographer, David Slater, has been struggling since the case took place. Now, in 2015, people for the ethical treatment of animals, who I'm beginning to have, PETA is becoming some of my worst people in my life, filed a suit against Mr. Slater on behalf of the monkey. it determined that it identified as it identified the six-year-old male claiming the animal was the rightful owner of David's picture.

David Slater, photographer of monkey selfie, his picture joins us on the Jeff Fisher broadcast. Hello, David. How are you, sir? Hello, I'm very fine. Thank you. I appreciate you coming on today. So, David, this has been going on now for two, three years. You took the picture in what, 14, 2013, 2014? Well, I mean, it's longer ago than that. It hit the news in 2011. Wow. It went viral that long ago. Wow. Now, before we get anywhere with finding out where the story is at and what's happened and what's happened, I just want to get

your okay right off the bat that I can use that for my Twitter profile. Of course you can. So, David, walk us through a little bit of what happened and what's been happening just over a picture that you had set up so that the monkeys could take pictures of themselves. Well, yeah, like you say, it was in 2015, almost two years ago now. I'd been battling since 2011, actually, I've been battling for four years to try and get Wikipedia to take this image down off their website. I'd send them take down requests, etc. Because once it's on Wikipedia, it's free for all the world to use as ever they wish.

And the reason that they were given that they decided amongst themselves that they were going to put this picture up there for free for everyone was because the monkey pressed the button. And because monkeys can't own copyright, it would be free for everybody. As far as I could,

I could not get them to take it down. And obviously, sometimes in this period, an animal rights group, and you say petter, obviously churning this over in the head and saying, well, actually, if the monkey pressed the button, surely the monkey can have copyright. It's his copyright.

It says copyright. And maybe we can get to get older this monkey. We'll go out to the rainforest, where I photograph this monkey, identify the monkey from the photograph, which they did with the aid of a primatologist. Did they identify the correct monkey? Well, that's another twist of the,

this story. I insist not. So, you know, it's bizarre to begin with. They get this monkey, they get a big law firm that represents Petter. They're spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on this case. Just to get me in court on a, on a bigger agenda that they've always had, and that's to grant animals the same rights as humans. Amazing. All right, so, now let's jump forward to not too long ago we moved across to because pita issued their statement talking about is pleased with the robust discussion of this historic case in which it's calling it is undisputed right and the proceeds they're saying of course the proceeds from the use of these photos should go to protect narudo and his family but because of all this

because of all this coverage, even with just the selfie picture, the people had really cut back on using the meat from the monkeys, had they not? I think they're certainly better themselves and I can do in the monkey population over there. They're a great disservice at the moment. Right, right.

And I'm sure that, I mean, in the end, I'm sure that's all Peter cares about. So you, David, you've become, what, multi-millionaire over this picture? No, I feel as well I own multi-millioners to attorneys and the help that I've had and registrations trying to protect this copyright. It's taken a lot of stress and time just bringing over this. So, no, I'm the opposite of a millionaire.

Wow. And so no one, and opposite of a millionaire means that you're struggling over this one photograph thanks to well I don't want to say Peter and Wikipedia now because they Wikipedia was the one who started the well yeah they're they the people are really point the gun at the moment they started all this they still won't back down they're forever updating the page on the monkey selfie page on Wikipedia never getting around facts and constantly trying to make people that the monkeys took my unattended camera ran off with it and took this picture all by itself

which is patently untrue. So how did you get... Everybody seems to think, realized now, from the media, when people actually talk to me, which is something Wikipedia haven't done, that I set the camera up on a tripod,

you know, I set all the dials, all I got the monkey to do was press the button. But Wikipedia won't have any of it. How long were you out there? I mean, was this the goal to get these monkeys

to start taking pictures of themselves and the family and that kind of thing? Yeah, you know, 15 years or so, I've been dedicated. my photography career towards conservation. So it was a trip that I took for a month long. It was funded by myself.

Nobody's employing me. It's the risk that photography take. Right. Hopefully you can do the conservation bit, and I like the plight of various animals, and there's plenty of them in Sulawesi. And hopefully you'll generate an income that keeps you going. Right.

It keeps me the job. Yeah. It was amazing how that works. But it only works if Wikipedia and Pida leave you alone. Yeah. as soon as Wikipedia stole this and they actually made a big song and danced about it they gave press releases to the

world's press over the two years mainly there's an old network of websites that support this agenda of diminishing copyright and making all the content on the internet free they were used my image completely ruining my income so I was actually sort of

getting very desperate about my career because of Wikipedia getting all the law team together which wasn't easy in the UK. Nothing's cheap. And then on 2015, I get this extra bird and other monkey coming along and suing me. So I'm already fighting one massive battle

and then get landed on by this most bizarre battle you can probably ever think of. Okay, so now, the judges have pretty much ruled, right? There's no way for the monkey to acquire or hold money. There's no loss of reputation. So, I mean, is it over? I don't think so you've got to remember

people need to understand that in 2016 the monkey went to a federal court in San Francisco and the judge threw it out saying that monkeys can't sue right the monkey appealed he didn't like that decision and went to the appeals court and there was three judges on the panel

not this Wednesday gone the Wednesday before and they didn't give a verdict they're resting on it I don't know when they'll decide whether the monkey gets the copyright or I do. They're resting on it. Interesting.

Deliberating, yeah. And do they give you no time on when that deliberation may be done? No, my attorney is as clueless as everybody else. He just tells me it probably be the month that they're at the soonest, but maybe three or four months away still. He doesn't know. Isn't that special? Isn't that special?

So now what? David, what are you doing? I mean, I know you said you're struggling? Are you, are you, Are you still working? You're still trying to set up, do some jobs and make some money, or you left taking the government for some cash? Well, it's been really exhausting,

just trying to keep my motivation to do photography anymore. And with the diminishing fees that you get from the images that I already have, many are libraries across the world. Yeah, I think photographers, like me are having to look for the ways to earn a living. One of the ways I'm looking at now is becoming a tennis coach. And as it's been reported in some of the media in the UK, I am actually considering doing dog walking as well. Simply just to get my camera in my hand again and get out into the countryside.

Right. I mean, why not? My interest again, yeah, yeah, why not? Instead of just, you know, sitting around crying about the monkey. So when we get news on what happens with the monkey, I'd love to talk to you, David, because I'm sure everybody will get to know. I'm sure it will be in the media. My gosh.

I'm so... I'm so... I'm so on your side. It's unbelievable. These people are disgusting, fighting over a monkeys right like this. So, where, I mean, how much are the attorneys just holding all this for you, hoping that Pete is going to end up having to pay the deal?

And you're just hoping that that happens? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, there's two lots of attorneys involved. There's my personal attorney, Andrew Dewey. So yes, he's fairly confident that he'll get his fees paid via Petter. Good. But there's no guarantee of that, apparently.

No guarantee. It's down to the judge's discretion. And there's another law firm as well. That's the book publisher that I did a book called Wildlife Personalities. And they got them up in court for reproducing the photograph that Nauruto claims it took. That is almost unbelievable. I hope that your attorneys and you milk Peter for every dime that. joint has.

It is a shame because obviously there are some things that me and Petter could have agreed on had they have talked to me in the first place. Yeah, you were doing it for the conservation of the animals. I was. I know. That's the massive irony of all of this. And yeah, this is why I think they really have stabbed themselves in the foot. And I just hope they learned not to pull any of these stunts anymore.

David Slater from the UK. Thank you very much, David. I appreciate your time. And I'd love to talk to you again when this all gets resolved one way or the other. I'd love to, too, too. you very much. Thanks, David. I appreciate it.

Bye. Jeff Fisher Show, Blaze Radio Network.