At the 2015 Met Gala, Katy Perry wore a strapless gown embellished with colorful graffiti artwork, designed by Moschino’s Jeremy Scott. Positive press about the pop star's creative ensemble turned sour when Brooklyn street artist Joseph Tierney noticed that the garment used his personal graffiti tag without his permission or compensation.
Tierney sued Scott in August 2015, accusing him of copyright infringement and compromising Tierney's “credibility as a graffiti artist.” The suit pointed out that Perry and Scott “arrived at the event in a spray-painted Rolls-Royce and even carried around Moschino-branded cans of fake spray paint during the event as if Defendants were responsible for the work."
Scott filed to dismiss the suit and claimed that the graffiti used on the dress “were selected and created by a graphic artist […] and completely independent of me,” to which Tierney shot back, "if [Scott] doesn't design anything for Moschino, then what exactly does he do?". A judge ruled against Scott’s motion to dismiss, and the suit was settled out of court in April 2016.