CURIOSITYPeople Have Sued God a Monkey and Their Own Kidneys and Here Is How It Went4 min read

One Inmate, Two Parties, Zero Chance

Robert Lee Brock was serving time at the Indian Creek Correctional Center in Chesapeake, Virginia in 1995 — locked up for breaking and entering and grand larceny — when he concluded that someone owed him $5 million. That someone was himself.

His argument had a certain internal logic. He’d been drunk on the night of the crimes. The alcohol caused him to violate his own religious beliefs. His sober self deserved compensation from his drunk self. Since he couldn’t earn money while incarcerated, he asked the state to cover the damages on his behalf.

“I partook of alcoholic beverages in 1993, July 1st, as a result I caused myself to violate my religious beliefs … by my going out and getting arrested.”

Judge Rebecca Beach Smith dismissed the case as frivolous. A model of judicial restraint under the circumstances.

The Monkey Who Owned the Shot

In 2011, wildlife photographer David Slater was working in an Indonesian jungle when a macaque named Naruto grabbed one of his cameras and clicked the shutter on himself. The selfie was sharp. Charming, even. Slater published it. PETA sued him in 2015, arguing Naruto held the copyright.

Two years of litigation followed. The central question: does U.S. copyright law extend to non-human animals? The parties settled before a court could answer it — Slater agreed to donate 25% of future revenue from the book to charities protecting macaque habitats in Indonesia. The U.S. Copyright Office has since clarified that photos taken by monkeys cannot be copyrighted. PETA got a donation. Naruto got nothing. The camera got its fifteen minutes.