Artist Sues USPS Over Lady Liberty Stamp Error

The Postal Service just cannot catch a break these days. A sculptor has sued the USPS because it mistakenly used his version of the Statue of Liberty on a stamp instead of the original in New York Harbor, reports AP. The mistake itself is old news: The Postal Service created the stamp based on a photo of Robert Davidson's sculpture in Vegas and acknowledged the error in 2011. But it also said that it liked the Vegas version better anyhow and has kept right on producing the stamp.

Enter Davidson's lawyers last week with a lawsuit that accuses the USPS of copyright infringement. It states that the Vegas version of Liberty is markedly different than her New York cousin—more "fresh-faced," "sultry," and "sexier," notes the Washington Post. Why the lawsuit now? Maybe because a federal court earlier this year awarded $685,000 to the sculptor who designed the Korean War Memorial when it, too, showed up on a stamp without permission. Given that the Liberty "Forever" stamp has sold about 4 billion copies, Davidson could be in for a nice payday. (More US Postal Service stories.)