[dmurray]

> And if the USPS purchased a license to use a photograph, and Getty sold them the rights to use the photograph, wouldn't Getty bare some responsibility?

The USPS have to bear the responsibility first - the sculptor shouldn't have to dig into all of the USPS' business dealings before filing a lawsuit.

However the USPS have a contract with Getty in which either Getty misrepresented what they were selling, or the USPS did not read the contract correctly. In the former case USPS should be able to recover some of the loss from Getty, but it looks more like the latter.