Hitting the court for copyright infringement, pop star Miley Cyrus is now embroiled in controversy, having her record-shattering song "Flowers" being alleged to share likenesses with portions of a Bruno Mars hit from 2013, "When I Was Your Man." This ruling allows for the lawsuit to go ahead, marking one huge controversy for the singer.
Allegations
As claimed by Tempo Music Investments, "Flowers" closely resembles "When I Was Your Man" in melody, chord progression, and fiction-themed lyrics, the song of which is partially owned by Tempo Music, claiming Cyrus and her team copied for huge revenue streams against the interests of the original.
Although Bruno Mars himself is not a defendant in the case, Tempo Music has standing to sue because a prior co-writer of his song, Philip Lawrence, sold part of his copyright ownership to them.
Case Allowed for Further Proceedings
Miley Cyrus and her legal team did seek to dismiss the lawsuit on the basis that not only had Tempo Music been the rights-holder able to bring an action. Be it posted on March 18, U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson, while presiding over the ruling, remarked that the claim may go ahead as Tempo Music has co-ownership of the copyright and so can pursue the claim for infringement.
'Flowers' and Its Enormous Success
Released in January 2023, one of the biggest songs of the decade "Flowers" broke all streaming records and bagged the biggest awards including a Grammy for Song of the Year. The fans have welcomed its empowering message; the lyrics are seemingly more about the singer's previous relationship with an actor.
Fulfilling 1bn+ streams on Spotify in addition to asserting its supremacy in the global charts for weeks, the starry success now stands eligible to be contested legally, with various queries regarding its originality.
Industry Reactions
The case has opened a debate on that very thin line separating musical inspiration from outright plagiarism. More often than not, these pop superstars get a huge hit thanks to previous songs, but these days seem to see more and more cases of copyright disputes.
Such a precedent will create tighter enforcement of copyright in the music industry concerning how these respective artists will be creating songs in the future.
What happens next?
With the claim officially proceeding, Miley Cyrus and her record label, Sony Music, will have to prove their case for "Flowers" in a trial likely to involve expert testimony and music analysis under copyright law and other legal questions.
That said manifestation it will yield would have an impact felt over the next years in the habitual scheme of the music industry, with ears wide open among fans and professionals to witness the developments come. For now, however, Cyrus remains mute on the issue as the song is still a dominant player on global playlists.
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