NEW YORK (AP) – An artist has sued those he says are seeking to ride his “Charging Bull” sculpture to profits, claiming they are illegally capitalizing on the popularity of the 7,000-pound tourist attraction near Wall Street.

Arturo Di Modica sought unspecified damages against several corporations including Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for what he said was unauthorized use of the stylized bronze larger-than-life-size bull, which has stood at the base of Manhattan since 1989.

A telephone message left with Wal-Mart was not immediately returned Thursday.

The Sicilian immigrant’s lawsuit, filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court, recalled the cold December night in 1989 when the bull was first fork-lifted from a truck to a spot at the entrance of the New York Stock Exchange.

It said the bull became an “immediate sensation” and was moved four days later to its permanent spot at the foot of Broadway.

The sculpture’s popularity and international recognition as a symbol of the city led to counterfeit copies, photographs and knockoff sculptures being sold in stores and on the Internet, the lawsuit said.

Some people have even sought to incorporate images of the sculpture in advertising campaigns and into graphics associated with television programs, all without the artist’s permission, the lawsuit said.

Di Modica said Wal-Mart was selling and marketing photos and lithographic copies of the “Charging Bull” to the public. He sought through the lawsuit to block future sales of images of his work by Wal-Mart and others and receive part of the profits that resulted from the sales.

Di Modica was inspired to create the 16-foot-long bull as a symbol of strength and hope after the 1987 stock market collapse. It took him two years to complete and cost him more than $350,000.