A Bigfoot researcher who posted a videotape on the Internet that supposedly shows one of the ape-like creatures snacking on pancakes has settled his copyright battle with both the maker and the owner of the tape.

The litigation was the talk of the Bigfoot research world, with Craig Woolheater of the Texas Bigfoot Research Center alleging that Matt Moneymaker of the Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization had threatened him with financial ruin for posting the tape on his Cryptomundo.com Web site.

Moneymaker shot the murky nighttime footage while investigating the supposed sighting of a Bigfoot in Kentucky. He sold the rights to the tape for $20,000 in September 2005 to Adrian Erickson, a Canadian developer and Bigfoot investigator.

Woolheater sued for declaratory relief in February, invoking the “fair use” exception to copyright liability. But as part of a settlement with Erickson -- who filed a copyright infringement action later the same week -- he agreed to remove the tape as well as related photo stills and reader comments from Cryptomundo.

“Erickson said ... he didn’t want it shown to others,” Woolheater explained in a recent posting on his site. “I respect his right to keep it to himself and avoid embarrassment.”

The consensus among Bigfoot trackers is that the pancake-snacking Bigfoot is nothing more than a hoax perpetrated by someone dressed up in an animal costume.

Because Moneymaker does not own the tape, Woolheater dismissed his claim against the other Bigfoot researcher. “I didn’t pay Moneymaker or [Erickson] a nickel,” he said.

What remains almost as mysterious as Bigfoot itself is why Moneymaker would allegedly accuse Woolheater of violating copyright. If he no longer owned the tape, such an accusation would amount to copyright misuse.