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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A curious monkey with a toothy grin and a knack for pressing a camera button was back in the spotlight Wednesday as a federal appeals court heard arguments on whether an animal can hold a copyright to selfie photos.

A 45-minute hearing before a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco attracted crowds of law students and curious citizens who often burst into laughter. The federal judges also chuckled at times at the novelty of the case, which involves a monkey in another country that is unaware of the fuss.

Andrew Dhuey, attorney for British nature photographer David Slater, said “monkey see, monkey sue” is not good law under any federal act.

Naruto is a free-living crested macaque who snapped perfectly framed selfies in 2011 that would make even the Kardashians proud.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals sued Slater and the San Francisco-based self-publishing company Blurb, which published a book called “Wildlife Personalities” that includes the monkey selfies, for copyright infringement. It sought a court order in 2015 allowing it to administer all proceeds from the photos taken in a wildlife reserve in Sulawesi, Indonesia to benefit the monkey.

Slater says the British copyright for the photos obtained by his company, Wildlife Personalities Ltd., should be honored.

Jeffrey Kerr, general counsel to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), speaks to reporters outside of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 12, 2017. Attorneys for David Slater, a wildlife photographer whose camera was used by a monkey to snap selfies, asked a federal appeals court to end a lawsuit seeking to give the animal rights to the photos. PETA sought a court order in 2015 allowing it to administer all proceeds from the photos to benefit the monkey. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/web1_Monkey.jpg.optimal.jpgJeffrey Kerr, general counsel to the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), speaks to reporters outside of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, Wednesday, July 12, 2017. Attorneys for David Slater, a wildlife photographer whose camera was used by a monkey to snap selfies, asked a federal appeals court to end a lawsuit seeking to give the animal rights to the photos. PETA sought a court order in 2015 allowing it to administer all proceeds from the photos to benefit the monkey. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Associated Press