The Firm That Owns 'Fearless Girl' Is Suing the Woman Who Created Her

According to the financial services firm that owns Fearless Girl, one Fearless Girl is awesome but more than one Fearless Girl? An abomination and cause for a lawsuit!

The New York Times reports that State Street Global Advisors, which purchased the original Fearless Girl, is filing a series of aggressive lawsuits over copies of the statue installed around the world including London, Oslo, and Melbourne. State Street first sued Kristen Visbal, the creator of the statue and the copies, a few months ago citing the fact that they conceived of the project. But Visbal says she created the statue independently.

From its installation State Street has used Fearless Girl as a symbol for their self-proclaimed investment in women, but a report earlier this year found that the company wasn’t as gender inclusive as its little statue would have the rest of the world believe. The firm also had to pay $5 million in a settlement over gender discrimination claims. And if it wasn’t clear where State Street stands when it comes to “female empowerment,” the lawsuit against Visbal might be illuminating. The creator has since created a fundraising campaign to cover her legal fees. Visbal told the NYT, “it is extremely important that the work be reproduced in order to draw attention to the messages behind her.”