Why did judge deny dismissing Miley Cyrus' Flower Copyright Lawsuit over Bruno Mars' When I Was Your Man? Details explored

When Miley Cyrus released her hit single Flowers in 2023, fans were quick to point out the resemblances in the lyrics. Many compared Cyrus' song to Bruno Mars' When I Was Your Man. More than a year after its release, Cyrus was sued by Tempo Music in September 2024 on the basis that Flowers was copying Mars' When I Was Your Man.

The latest update about Cyrus' legal battle is that a judge rejected Cyrus' legal team's request to dismiss the lawsuit. The reason behind the dismissal, according to the judge, is that Cyrus' lawyers misunderstood the legal precedent when it comes to copyrights.

Keep reading to learn more about how Miley Cyrus' legal team "misunderstood" the precedents relating to copyrights.

---

Why was Miley Cyrus' request for a dismissal of the Flowers lawsuit denied?

Tempo Music, the label that filed a lawsuit against Miley Cyrus' single Flowers, had already bought the catalog rights of When I Was Your Man co-writer Philip Lawrence.

Miley Cyrus' team thought that the label did not have the right to sue Cyrus because Tempo Music only had Lawrence’s rights to the song without the consent of other songwriters. However, the court corrected Cyrus' team, saying that Tempo Music does have the right to file a lawsuit because it has an "exclusive right" to the copyright. They elaborated that this term should not be confused with "exclusive ownership.

Furthermore, it is clearly stated that the case was not brought forth to the court by singer Bruno Mars or songwriter Phillip Lawrence.

If you are curious to know the exact ruling, this is what the judge stated:

"By transferring all of that interest, Tempo now steps into Lawrence’s shoes and is a co‐owner of the exclusive rights of the copyright... Because Lawrence as a co‐owner could sue for infringement, Tempo as co‐owner, in lieu of Lawrence, can sue for infringement without joining the other co‐owners of the copyright."

Variety also took a statement from Tempo Music's lawyer, Alex Weingarten, after the judge dismissed Cyrus' request. He said,

"We are thrilled but not the least surprised by the ruling... Our client is looking forward to having this case proceed to be resolved on its merits and are extremely confident in prevailing." - Weingarten expressed.

---

While some say that the two songs are similar to one another because of the lyrics,

"I should have bought you flowers" - Bruno Mars "When I Was Your Man"

Compared to Cyrus' lyrics,

"I can buy myself flowers" - Miley Cyrus "Flowers"

Some people do not see the similarities given that these two songs were released after a decade-long gap.