Miley Cyrus Is Facing a $300 Million Lawsuit Over a Hit Song

[Charlemagne]

Miley Cyrus Is Facing a $300 Million Lawsuit Over a Hit Song

FLORA CARR March 15th, 2018

Miley Cyrus faces a $300 million lawsuit over her hit 2013 track “We Can’t Stop,” after Jamaican artist Michael May filed a copyright complaint on Tuesday in New York City.

The dispute centers on Cyrus’ lyrics “We run things/ Things don’t run we,” according to legal documents obtained by PEOPLE. May, who performs under the name Flourgon, reportedly claims that he originated the phrase in his 1988 reggae track “We Run Things,” which includes the lyrics “We run things/ Things no run we.”

“May was the first to construct such a sequence using the phrase ‘We run things. Things no run we’,” May’s lawyers argue in the obtained documents, adding that Cyrus owes her track’s “chart-topping popularity and its highly-lucrative success” to May.

“We Can’t Stop” features references to drug use, and was featured in Cyrus’ album Bangerz, which marked a break away from the singer’s previous more innocent persona in Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana. The song also reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

While the court documents don’t specify the exact amount that May is suing Cyrus for, but May’s lawyers specified $300 million to Reuters, adding that the sum “would be a reasonable compensation”, CNN Money reports. May also wants to prohibit Cyrus from obtaining further profits from the song.

Cyrus’ rep has not yet responded to media outlets’ requests for comment.

http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/miley-cyrus-lawsuit-300-million/

 

[canada-man]

pop trash music is filled with pop tarts being sued for copying other people's music

 

[wigglee]

at least she changed one word.........case dismissed

 

[sweetiepieexo]

at least she changed one word.........case dismissed

doesn't matter if she changed one word....it means the same thing... If she has to copy even one word of another artists song - then that is copyright. I believe him when he said he wrote it first and she copied him... When Miley first started out on Hannah montana ; it looked like she was going more the country pop route like her buddy taylor swift. Then she started getting more famous and that's when her head blew up. She started hanging out with rappers like juicy j who made her more hip hop & then she started making more hit songs & got into the drug scene which caused her public image to go down hill; she started basically dressing half naked while going out , started copying nicki minaj's style and that caused a feud between them but miley was to naiive and thought they were friends until minaj called her out at the VMAS

so this honestly comes as no surprise to me... Miley lost her originality when she stopped making music her way and started making what the industry wanted her to make. Therefore causing her to become an industry puppet. Even her own family says she is on a downward spiral.

If this guy wins this suit - she might open her eyes a little bit and realize she needs to improve her public image and be original.

 

[canada-man]

 

[GameBoy27]

doesn't matter if she changed one word....it means the same thing... If she has to copy even one word of another artists song - then that is copyright.

Not a chance. A single word is not considered a Creative Work by copyright law. It's possible she wrote the lyrics by coincidence. Michael May wrote the song 4 years before Cyrus was born, so who knows. It's in the hands of the lawyers now, although suing for $300 million is a little rich. Shoot for the sky I suppose. I'm sure they'll work out a settlement. These types of things happen all the time.

Remember Sam Smith's "Stay With Me"? When I first heard it, I thought it sounded a lot like Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down." Turns out I was right. He could have sued Smith, but instead they came to an agreement where Petty and Jeff Lynne were given co-writing credit to the single.

"About the Sam Smith thing. Let me say I have never had any hard feelings toward Sam," Petty wrote. "All my years of songwriting have shown me these things can happen. Most times you catch it before it gets out the studio door but in this case it got by. Sam's people were very understanding of our predicament and we easily came to an agreement.

"The word lawsuit was never even said and was never my intention. And no more was to be said about it," Petty continued. "How it got out to the press is beyond Sam or myself. Sam did the right thing and I have thought no more about this. A musical accident no more no less. In these times we live in this is hardly news. I wish Sam all the best for his ongoing career. Peace and love to all."

https://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/tom-petty-on-sam-smith-settlement-no-hard-feelings-these-things-happen-20150129

Then there's this one. Again, the original artist given songwriting credit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anybody_Seen_My_Baby%3F

 

[sempel]

I leave it up to the judges and copyright lawyers to decide if it's plagiarism or not. There was a band on Just for Laughs that showed how many hit songs are generally based on 3 chords so there's going to be some overlap at some point.

My question is the sum of $300 million. WTF? Did the song generate $300 million in revenue? And if it did, does one part of the lyric entitle someone to receive everything? The damages people sue for are getting ludicrous.

 

[LT56]

“We run tings, tings nuh run we” is listed all over the internet as an old Jamaican proverb. I’m not sure Flourgon can claim copyright ownership of it either.

 

[richaceg]

just give him half...

 

[GameBoy27]

just give him half...

Half of what? $300 million? For a few words? There's no other similarities between the songs. If he does get anything, it won't be anything close to that. I love how it's being reported that she "ripped off one of her hit songs." lol

I will say for all her weirdness, she sure can sing.

 

[sempel]

Miley Cyrus is crap. She's a good singer but all she singes is garbage haha

For once we agree! Plenty of people who can't sing though that have good songs, and plenty of people who have amazing voices but their songs just don't do it for me.

But is Miley even made $300 million from her entire collection of songs (let's ignore Hannah money)...

 

[sweetiepieexo]

Not a chance. A single word is not considered a Creative Work by copyright law. It's possible she wrote the lyrics by coincidence. Michael May wrote the song 4 years before Cyrus was born, so who knows. It's in the hands of the lawyers now, although suing for $300 million is a little rich. Shoot for the sky I suppose. I'm sure they'll work out a settlement. These types of things happen all the time.

Remember Sam Smith's "Stay With Me"? When I first heard it, I thought it sounded a lot like Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down." Turns out I was right. He could have sued Smith, but instead they came to an agreement where Petty and Jeff Lynne were given co-writing credit to the single.



Then there's this one. Again, the original artist given songwriting credit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anybody_Seen_My_Baby%3F

yes I looked it up and noticed that too. thank you for correcting me & I apologize for my mistake ... However I stick by everything else I said about her. She needs to start being original and stop trying to be what the industry wants her to be. I liked the old miley way better. :|