Graffiti artist RIME files infringement suit against Jeremy Scott and Moschino

By

Obi Anyanwu

Published
Aug 10, 2015

Street artist RIME last week filed a lawsuit against Moschino and its Creative Director, Jeremy Scott. RIME, who’s real name is Joseph Tierney, is suing the party for copyright infringement. He alleges that his art was used on several pieces of the Moschino fall 2015 collection, one of which was worn by Katy Perry at the 2015 Met Gala.

 
RIME’s complaint read, ““Moschino and Jeremy Scott––two household names in high-fashion––inexplicably placed RIME’s art on their highest-profile apparel without his knowledge or consent. The only person harmed was RIME. Not only was his art exploited by Defendants, but his credibility as a graffiti artist was compromised by inclusion in such a crass and commercial publicity stunt.”
 
The art in question is a 2012 mural in Detroit featuring furrowed brows and a set of “vandal eyes” over a red and blue background. 

Moschino released an official statement about the lawsuit on August 6th: "We were not aware that a lawsuit had been filed until yesterday. Many of the allegations, especially the inflammatory and gratuitous allegations of wrongdoing are false. We intend to vigorously defend the lawsuit. During the pendency of a lawsuit, it is our practice not to comment on the specific facts of an ongoing case."
 
Jeremy Scott has been accused of copyright and trademark infringement in 2013 for plagiarizing designs from Santa Cruz Skateboards.