PETA filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday against a wildlife photographer for profiting from a selfie picture that the animal rights group claims belongs to an endangered monkey.

In the suit, PETA argues that a rare crested macaque monkey holds the copyright of a selfie that it took of itself using British photographer David Slater's unattended camera in Indonesia. PETA also claims that the monkey should receive damages for copyright infringement since Slater used the picture of the grinning black macaque in a wildlife book.

PETA is now suing on behalf of Naruto, the six-year-old macaque who lives in the Tangkoko Reserve on the island of Sulawesi and took several images in 2011. According to the complaint filed by the animal rights activists, the popular Monkey Selfies that were produced came from "a series of purposeful and voluntary actions by Naruto, unaided by Slater," reports Reuters.

"Naruto has the right to own and benefit from the copyright ... in the same manner and to the same extent as any other author," the suit reads.

"While the claim of authorship by species other than homo sapiens may be novel, 'authorship; under the Copyright Act, 17 U.S.C. § 101 et seq., is sufficiently broad so as to permit the protections of the law to extend to any original work, including those created by Naruto," PETA said in the, reports CNN.

In response, Slater called the lawsuit ridiculous publicity stunt and told Reuters that he feels both "rather bemused" and persecuted.

"I am obviously bemused at PETA's stunt but also angry as well as sad," Slater wrote on Facebook. "This makes animal welfare charities look bad which saddens me, deflecting away from the animals and onto stunts like this."

Slater also sent an email to Reuters, saying, "I am sympathetic in my book for animals having rights to property in some circumstances, but in no way do I mean copyrights. Their focus seems more aimed at making me out to be a criminal than someone who loves and respects and fights for animals. ... I have to wonder what are the true motives behind this attack on me."

In addition to Slater, the lawsuit also names his UK-based company Wildlife Personalities, and Blurb, Inc., a Delaware-based corporation which published and sold in the United States a book containing copies of the photos.

PETA also argues in the complaint that the Copyright Act of 1976 was "sufficiently broad ... to extend to any original work, including those created by Naruto."