Miley Cyrus and her legal team have responded to a copyright infringement lawsuit regarding her hit song "Flowers" and its alleged similarities to Bruno Mars' "When I Was Your Man."

Photo Credit: Miley Cyrus by Raph PH / CC by 2.0

The lawsuit, filed in September by Tempo Music Investments, claims "Flowers" infringes on the copyright of "When I Was Your Man." However, Cyrus's attorneys highlight a crucial issue: neither Bruno Mars nor the original song's co-writers are involved in the lawsuit.

Key points of Cyrus's legal defense:

• Tempo Music Investments only purchased rights from one co-writer, Philip Lawrence
• Partial interest grants only non-exclusive rights, insufficient for filing an infringement lawsuit
• Federal copyright law requires consent from all co-owners for legal standing
• The songs have "striking differences" in melody and musical elements

The plaintiff's claims:

• "Flowers" borrows melodic and harmonic elements
• Similar pitch ending patterns and bass-line structure
• The song "would not exist" without Mars' track

Tempo's lead counsel, Alex Weingarten, dismisses Cyrus's defense as "intellectually dishonest" and maintains their legal standing. While fans have noted similarities between the songs since "Flowers" released in January 2023, Cyrus's team argues that any shared elements are not protected by copyright.

The court's decision on whether a partial rights holder can pursue copyright infringement claims remains pending.

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