Miley Cyrus' Flowers lawsuit gets even messier with new ruling

Los Angeles, California - Pop star Miley Cyrus hit a roadblock on Monday as a federal judge rejected her bid to dismiss a copyright infringement lawsuit over her hit song, Flowers.

On Monday, a federal judge denied Miley Cyrus’ attempt to throw out a copyright infringement lawsuit targeting her hit song Flowers.
On Monday, a federal judge denied Miley Cyrus’ attempt to throw out a copyright infringement lawsuit targeting her hit song Flowers.  © Collage: MARIO TAMA & Michael Tran / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & Screenshot/Instagram/@mileycyrus

During a hearing at a downtown Los Angeles courthouse on Monday, US District Judge Dean D. Pregerson signaled that he believes the plaintiff, Tempo Music Investments, has a strong enough position to proceed with its claims.

The lawsuit stems from the investment group's assertion that Flowers, which won the 32-year-old singer her first Grammy in 2024, borrowed elements from Bruno Mars' hit 2013 track When I Was Your Man without permission.

Miley's attorneys argued that Tempo's partial ownership doesn't grant it the authority to sue, as reported by Rolling Stone.

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"There's a profound policy issue before the court. Adopting the rule urged by [Miley] would turn the entire music industry, indeed the tech industry as well, on its ear," Tempo lawyer Alex Weingarten asserted.

The judge seemed to agree, noting that prior rulings allow co-owners to sell exclusive rights to a copyrighted work without needing approval from others.

Cover photo: Collage: MARIO TAMA & Michael Tran / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP & Screenshot/Instagram/@mileycyrus

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