'Charging Bull' artist sues Wal-Mart, others over copyright

NEW YORK: The creator of New York City’s famed ‘Charging Bull’ bronze statue near the Wall Street financial district has sued companies including Wal-Mart Stores and North Fork Bancorp for copyright infringement.

According to the lawsuit filed by New York artist Arturo Di Modica in US District Court in Manhattan on Wednesday, Wal-Mart is “knowingly and willfully selling and marketing” copies, lithographs and photographs of the iconic statue without permission from the artist.

North Fork, based in Melville, New York, featured ‘Charging Bull’ in a national television advertising campaign without permission, the lawsuit said.

Di Modica, who registered the bull with the US Copyright Office in 1998, seeks unspecified damages for lost revenue from both companies for the unlawful use of ‘Charging Bull’s’ image, the lawsuit said.

The complaint also demands that both companies stop using the sculpture’s image.Representatives for both North Fork and Bentonville, Arkansas-based Wal-Mart could not immediately be reached for comment.