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Stick It

Just in time for Independence Day, a federal judge has ruled the U.S. Postal Service infringed on the copyright of a Las Vegas, Nev., artist who re-created the Statue of Liberty for the New York-New York hotel and casino. The Postal Service issued 4.9 billion Statue of Liberty stamps based on a photograph it licensed from Getty Images for $1,200, but mistook the New York-New York image for the real thing. The artist, Robert Davidson, sued, saying his version of the statue was “a little more modern, a little more feminine” — and was based on his mother in law, and therefore protected as a new work of art, unlike the original statue. The court agreed the replica is “unmistakably different,” and awarded Davidson $3.6 million in compensation from the Postal Service. (RC/Las Vegas Review Journal) ...Seems fair — as long as Getty Images pays it.