Miley Cyrus Defends 'Flowers' Against Copyright Lawsuit as Bruno Mars Remains Uninvolved
Miley Cyrus and her legal team have responded to the copyright infringement lawsuit regarding her hit song "Flowers" and its alleged similarities to Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man." The case presents an interesting twist - it wasn't filed by Bruno Mars or his co-writers, but by an investment firm called Tempo Music Investments.
Miley Cyrus performs during concert
Photo Credit: Miley Cyrus by Raph PH / CC by 2.0
The key points of contention are:
- Tempo Music Investments only purchased rights from one co-writer, Philip Lawrence
- Cyrus' attorneys argue this gives Tempo only "non-exclusive rights"
- Without all copyright owners involved, they claim Tempo lacks legal standing to sue
- The lawsuit alleges "Flowers" copies melodic, harmonic, and structural elements from Mars' song
Cyrus' legal team, led by Peter Anderson, argues that federal copyright law requires exclusive ownership rights to file an infringement lawsuit. They maintain that a single co-author cannot assign exclusive rights without other co-authors' consent.
Tempo's counsel Alex Weingarten dismisses these arguments as "intellectually dishonest" and "bogus technical arguments," insisting they have proper legal standing.
While fans have long noted similarities between the songs, particularly in their lyrics, Cyrus' attorneys emphasize "striking differences" in melody and musical elements. They assert that any shared elements are not protected by copyright.
The court's decision on this matter is pending, with significant implications for copyright law and music industry rights management.
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