Miley Cyrus denies plagiarizing Bruno Mars song for 'Flowers,' files to dismiss copyright case
Miley Cyrus shut down accusations that she plagiarized Bruno Mars' When I Was Your Man while creating her hit song Flowers.
Citing official documents it obtained, PEOPLE Magazine reported that Cyrus—through her lawyers—denied the copyright infringement allegations as she asked to toss the lawsuit, noting that "only owners of exclusive rights may sue for copyright infringement" and "an assignee of only one co-author lacks exclusive rights and, therefore, also lacks standing to sue for infringement."
Cyrus was slapped with the complaint in September by Tempo Music Investments, which said it has a share of the copyright for When I Was Your Man.
The company accused Cyrus of "intentionally" taking Mars' song when she and her team came up with the chorus, harmony, melody, chord progressions, and lyrics of Flowers.
“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,” the firm stated in the lawsuit.
Tempo Music is seeking monetary damages in the complaint, though the exact amount is yet to be determined.
Cyrus is also being asked to stop reproducing, distributing, or performing Flowers.
Cyrus and Mars—who is not named as plaintiff in the complaint—have yet to comment on the filing.
Flowers was released in January 2023 as part of Cyrus' eighth studio album Endless Summer Vacation. The singer won two Grammy awards for it early this year, including Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year.
When I Was Your Man, meanwhile, is among the tracks featured in Mars' 2012 album Unorthodox Jukebox. It was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards.
