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Here We Go Again

The Stamp Collecting Report, I'm Lloyd de Vries.

Remember the Statue of Liberty stamp that wasn’t? Nearly three years ago, the U-S Postal Service issued a stamp showing what it thought was the monument in New York Harbor. It turned out the photo was of a REPRODUCTION in Las Vegas.

Now, the creator of that Vegas version is suing the postal agency for copyright infringement. His attorneys say his statue is more feminine, more fresh-face and more “sultry” than the original... and he’s owed money.

The Postal Service obtained the photograph, and the rights to use it, from an agency. Yes, it chose a photo of the wrong statue, but it thought the agency was taking care of the rights.

A few months ago, the artist who created the Korean War Veterans Memorial in Washington won a settlement from the Postal Service of more than half a million dollars, for depicting his statue on a stamp... even though the National Park Service purchased the monument. You see, it didn’t purchase the COPYRIGHT.