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Wikimedia holds vote to determine the fate of the famous monkey selfie

By Hafeez Sim - on 8 Aug 2014, 10:11am

Wikimedia holds vote to determine the fate of the famous monkey selfie

The star involved in the scandal. (Source: Wikimedia Commons) 

After repeatedly turning down a photographer's requests to stop distributing his most famous photograph, Wikimedia has decided to let  it come down to a vote. British photographer, David Slater, was taking pictures of crested black macaques in Indonesia back in 2011 when one of the more daring primates got hold of his camera and proceeded to snap hundreds of selfies of herself. 

One of the macaque's best selfie shots made its way on to Wikimedia Commons, which is a repository of royalty-free images. Wikimedia, the American non-profit organization behind Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons, has been distributing the monkey's selfie shot for free as it claims Slater does not own the image. Slater has argued that the free distribution of his image has led to a loss of earnings from royalties. Wikimedia has now given its community of users a week to decide if the picture will remain online or if it will be deleted. 

Source: The Telegraph

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