LAS VEGAS (AP) — A judge has ordered the U.S. Postal Service to pay $3.5 million to the sculptor of a Statue of Liberty replica at the New-York-New York casino-resort in Las Vegas after an image of the replica was mistakenly used on a stamp.

Sculptor Robert Davidson sued the Postal Service for copyright infringement over the "forever" stamp design released in 2011 that featured the face of his Lady Liberty. The Postal Service had been releasing the stamps for at least three months before discovering it was not an image of the New York statue.

Postal Service attorneys argued Davidson's design was too similar for him to claim copyright.

A federal judge sided with Davidson last week and agreed his work was an original design with a more modern, feminine and contemporary face.

The Postal Service declined to comment.

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