Miley Cyrus is battling some serious accusations regarding her popular song, “Flowers.” She has denied claims of plagiarism and is taking steps to dismiss a copyright lawsuit that has been filed against her.
The lawsuit comes from Tempo Music Investments, which holds part of the copyright for Bruno Mars’ 2013 song “When I Was Your Man.” The company claims that Cyrus copied elements from Mars’ track in her own song, “Flowers.” According to legal papers, Cyrus’s team argues that Tempo cannot sue for copyright infringement as it only owns a part of the copyright through the music catalog of co-writer Philip Lawrence. They emphasize that only the full copyright owners have the right to take legal action.
Cyrus’s lawyers highlighted this point in their motion to throw out the case, stating that since Tempo merely owns rights to one co-writer’s work, it does not have the standing to sue over copyright issues. So far, neither Cyrus nor Tempo Music Investments have responded to requests for comment on the situation.
Back in September, Cyrus was initially sued for the similarities between “Flowers” and “When I Was Your Man.” The complaint, filed in a Los Angeles court, insists that many people noticed the notable similarities between the two songs right after “Flowers” was released. The lawsuit claims that “Flowers” would not exist without “When I Was Your Man,” citing numerous overlapping musical and lyrical elements between the tracks.
Alongside Tempo Music Investments, the lawsuit also named songwriters Gregory Hein and Michael Pollack, who collaborated with Cyrus on “Flowers,” as well as Sony Music Publishing and Apple. Interestingly, Bruno Mars himself was not listed as a plaintiff in this case.
Tempo Music Investments alleges that it acquired the copyrights related to Mars’ hit song around 2020. They claim that both songs share the same chords and melodic lines, particularly pointing out similarities in the opening vocal line of “Flowers” and the verse of “When I Was Your Man.” The company is asking for the defendants to cease all reproducing, distributing, or publicly performing of “Flowers” while seeking unspecified damages.
As this case unfolds, fans and followers of both artists are keeping a close eye on the developments.
