Miley Cyrus Sued for $300M Over 'We Can't Stop' Copyright Infringement
Miley Cyrus is slapped with a $300 million lawsuit on Tuesday, March 13, after a Jamaican songwriter claims her hit "We Can't Stop" resembles one of his songs.
According to reports, Michael "Flourgon" May is claiming that the pop star's 2013 smash hit closely resembles "We Run Things," a song he recorded 25 years ago. Flourgon describes his song as "a favorite for lovers of reggae music worldwide," saying that it topped charts in his home country when it was released.
Now, he is alleging that Cyrus patterned 50 percent of "We Can't Stop" from his song. He said the 25-year-old and her label RCA Records, owned by Sony Corp, misappropriated his material.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
He highlighted the phrase from his original song, "We run things. Things no run we," which Cyrus sings as "We run things. Things don't run we."
Last year, Flourgon sought and won a "formal copyright protection" from the U.S. Copyright Office for all his musical arrangements in "We Run Things." This notes that Cyrus "owes the basis of its chart-topping popularity to and its highly-lucrative success to plaintiff May's protected, unique, creative and original content."
In a complaint filed with the U.S. District Court in Manhattan, the Jamaican musician wants to halt further sales and performances of "We Can't Stop."
As per court documents acquired by The Blast, Flourgon alleges that Cyrus "substantially incorporated" his "vocal melody/rhythm/cadence/inflection." For reference, "We Run Things" can be heard in the clip below.
The court documents did not specify the amount of damages, but Flourgon's lawyer says it is a $300 million case.
In 2013, "We Can't Stop" was a huge summer hit. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 100 Chart, and failed to reach the top spot only because it was held tight by Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines." That song was also mired with controversy for allegedly closely resembling a 1977 Marvin Gaye song.
