In response to allegations of plagiarism regarding her popular song "Flowers," Miley Cyrus has strongly refuted claims that she imitated Bruno Mars' 2012 hit "When I Was Your Man."
The copyright infringement lawsuit brought by Tempo Music Investments against Cyrus.
Her legal team has refuted the claims, stating that the company does not have the legal standing to pursue the case, per documents revealed by PEOPLE magazine.
It is important to note that Tempo Music, as a copyright holder through Philip Lawrence's catalog, is different from the other co-writers of the song, Ari Levine and Andrew Wyatt.
Cyrus' lawyers maintain that only individuals with exclusive rights to a piece of music are eligible to bring forth a lawsuit. They argue that since Tempo is merely an assignee of one co-writer, it lacks the necessary legal standing to initiate legal proceedings.
After "Flowers" was accused of plagiarizing Mars' ballad, a lawsuit was initiated following observations made by fans and critics who noted similarities between the two songs.
However, Cyrus' team have moved to dismiss the case, claiming that "an assignee of only one co-author lacks exclusive rights and, therefore, also lacks standing to sue for infringement."
Allegations have been made by Tempo Music in a legal case in September, claiming that the "Hannah Montana" star deliberately imitated Mars' popular song "When I Was Your Man" with her own hit single, pointing out significant parallels between the two tracks.
The lawsuit challenges that the musical elements, including the melody and harmonies, in "Flowers" closely mirror those found in Mars' composition, especially evident in both the verses and chorus sections.
Moreover, Tempo claims that the chord sequences found in Cyrus' track, penned in collaboration with Aldae (Gregory Hein) and Michael Pollack, bear resemblance to those in Mars' song.
Certain lines in "Flowers" share similarities with the lyrics in "When I Was Your Man," a song co-crafted by Mars alongside Philip Lawrence, Ari Levine, and Andrew Wyatt.
Per Tempo's lawsuit, "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.'"
Allegations in the legal case point fingers at Cyrus, along with her collaborators Kid Harpoon and Tyler Harper, and their record company, claiming they had exposure to Mars' song, even though "When I Was Your Man" has been easily accessible for several years on various platforms and formats.
But Tempo Music is aiming to claim unspecified damages and, notably, is demanding the removal of "Flowers" from all digital platforms and any physical editions of Cyrus' album, "Endless Summer Vacation" released in 2023.
They are further making efforts to block Cyrus from ever singing the song again.
The legal action has been initiated by Tempo Music, the new owner of a portion of the song's copyright, rather than Mars personally.
In 2021, Mars made a deal with Warner Music Group by selling a part of his catalog while still maintaining majority ownership, according to reports.
Established in 2019 with an initial investment of $650 million from Warner and Providence Equity Partners, Tempo specializes in acquiring song catalogs that encompass master recordings and publishing rights.
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