7 Singers Who Had Copyright Lawsuits
Miley Cyrus has been in the news recently, not only because of her ongoing family drama but also because of her ongoing legal battle over the alleged similarities between her song “Flowers” and Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man.” But the thing is, it’s not Mars who is suing her.
Tempo Music Investments filed a civil lawsuit in September. They own Philip Lawrence’s catalog, and he is one of four co-writers of the song. He was also part of the songwriting and production team The Smeezingtons, who produced Mars’ Unorthodox Jukebox album, which included “When I Was Your Man.”
The lawsuit, as reported by by USA Today, says, “’Flowers’ duplicates numerous melodic, harmonic, and lyrical elements of ‘When I Was Your Man.’”
Cyrus is not the first artist to have been involved in a controversy such as this. Even well-established pop stars are no strangers to copyright lawsuits.
Robin Thicke – “Blurred Lines”
Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” got blurrier when he and Pharrell Williams were ordered by a judge to pay Marvin Gaye’s estate more than $7 million, which was later reduced to $5.3 million for copyright infringement of Gaye’s 1977 track, “Got to Give It Up.”
T.I., who was a featured guest on the song, was cleared of any liability, per NBC News.
Katy Perry – “Dark Horse”
Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse” was a commercial success. It also dominated charts (and our ears) for what felt like forever. It was also nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards.
However, things turned a little darker for the “California Gurls” singer. In 2014, rapper Flame (real name Marcus Gray) sued Perry stating she plagiarized from his track “Joyful Noise.” A jury sided with him. But a judge overturned the decision saying the supposedly plagiarized eight-note riff was not “particularly unique or rare,” according to BBC.
Lizzo – “Truth Hurts”
The issue with Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” was with the writing credits. Justin Raise, Jeremiah Raisen and Yves Rothman alleged that they contributed to the creation of the hit but weren’t properly credited. Per Billboard, both parties reached a confidential settlement ending the year-long lawsuit.
Taylor Swift – “Shake It Off”
It might come as a surprise, but Taylor Swift, known for writing her songs based on her experiences, was also slapped with a copyright infringement lawsuit. Songwriters Nathan Butler and Sean Hall filed a lawsuit claiming Swift’s catchy chorus for “Shake it Off” was copied from their 2001 “Playas Gon’ Play.”
In 2022, Variety reported the parties reached an agreement. The songwriting credits for the song remained unchanged.
Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
Taylor Swift’s bestie also experienced the same ordeal. The singer-songwriter was accused of plagiarizing “Oh Why.” Sami Chokri and co-writer Ross O’Donoghue filed a claim alleging the similarity between his song and Sheeran’s “Shape of You.” Sheeran said, “It’s really damaging to the songwriting industry. There’s only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music. Coincidence is bound to happen if 60,000 songs are being released every day…That’s 22 million songs a year and there’s only 12 notes that are available.”
As reported by BBC, Judge Antony Zacaroli said Sheeran had “neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied” Chokri’s track.
Sheeran took legal action in 2018 and countersued. According to Rolling Stones, Chokri and O’Donoghue were ordered to pay the “Perfect” singer over $1.1 million in legal fees.
Ariana Grande – “7 Rings”
The Wicked star was also embroiled in a lawsuit for her “7 Rings” song. The lawsuit came from songwriter Josh Stone, who claimed Grande’s song copied “I Got It.” According to the lawsuit, as reported by CNN, “comparative analysis of the beat, lyrics, hook, rhythmic structure, metrical placement and narrative context – by musicology experts or everyday listeners alike – demonstrates clearly and convincingly that 7 RINGS copied I GOT IT.”
In 2021, Reuters reported Grande settled the lawsuit.
Music, as it turns out, is a legal minefield. No one is immune to the possibility of being accused of plagiarizing someone else’s work. But as they say, the show must go on. With the amount of money these artists make, they could easily keep a competent lawyer or two on their payroll.
