Miley Cyrus is set to defend her Grammy-winning hit Flowers in court after a judge denied her request to dismiss a lawsuit claiming she copied Bruno Mars' When I Was Your Man.
US District Judge Dean Pregerson ruled that Tempo Music Investments, which owns a stake in When I Was Your Man, has the right to sue.
The company filed the lawsuit against Cyrus and Sony Music in September 2024, alleging Flowers copies "numerous melodic, harmonic, and lyrical elements" from Mars' 2013 hit.
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| Credit: Miley Cyrus/Instagram |
Cyrus' legal team argued that Tempo couldn't sue unless it had exclusive rights to the song. However, the judge clarified that partial ownership is enough to proceed.
"Tempo now steps into Lawrence's shoes and is a co-owner of the exclusive rights of the copyright," he ruled.
Tempo's lawyer, Alex Weingarten, said the company is "thrilled but not the least surprised" by the decision and is "extremely confident in prevailing."
They are seeking damages and want Flowers removed from streaming and sales.
This could be a major blow for Cyrus, whose song has over 1 billion Spotify streams and won Song of the Year at the 2024 Grammys.
"Any fan of Bruno Mars' When I Was Your Man knows that Miley Cyrus's Flowers did not achieve all of that success on its own," Tempo stated.
With Flowers rumored to be about Cyrus' ex-husband Liam Hemsworth, the trial is set to be a must-watch for both legal and pop culture fans.
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