Yet again, Miley Cyrus is facing a new lawsuit alleging copyright infringement. This time, her 2023 hit song “Flowers” allegedly intentionally copied elements of Bruno Mars’ 2012 track “When I Was Your Man.” Yikes.
Get this, the lawsuit was filed by Tempo Music Investments, which claims to hold a share of the copyright for Mars’ song, though Mars himself is not listed as a plaintiff.
Okay so according to the suit, Tempo Music Investments claims that “Flowers” borrows from “When I Was Your Man” in terms of melody, harmony, and chord progressions. The company argues, “It is undeniable based on the combination and number of similarities between the two recordings that ‘Flowers’ would not exist without ‘When I Was Your Man.’” They are seeking an unspecified amount in damages and are also demanding that Cyrus be prohibited from performing or distributing “Flowers” in the future.
As for Cyrus, the pop star has not yet publicly responded to the lawsuit, and representatives for both Cyrus and Mars have not issued comments.
What’s more is this lawsuit marks the fourth time Cyrus has faced accusations of copyright infringement. In March 2018, Jamaican artist Michael May, known as Flourgon, claimed that Cyrus’ 2013 song “We Can’t Stop” used lyrics similar to his 1988 track “We Run Things.” May alleged that the song “misappropriated” his “musical composition/lyrical phrase” and sought $300 million in damages. The case was eventually settled out of court in 2020.
Back in September 2018, another lawsuit was filed against Cyrus and Universal Music by Ariella Asher, known as Yella the Triple Threat. She alleged that the song “23” by Mike Will Made It, which featured Cyrus, had an “infringing composition” on her 2012 song “J’s On My Feet.” This lawsuit was dropped two months later, in November 2018.
Oh but wait, Cyrus was also sued in September 2022 by photographer Robert Barbera after she posted a photo of herself on Instagram. Barbera argued that Cyrus did not own the rights to the image and that her sharing it with her large Instagram following “crippled if not destroyed the potentiality of any market for the Photograph by Plaintiff.” This lawsuit was settled in October 2022 and dismissed “with prejudice,” preventing Barbera from refiling the claim in the same court.
Looks like lawyer fees are going to start piling up.