Miley Cyrus has settled a $300 million copyright infringement suit filed against her by a Jamaican songwriter Michael May. The songwriter, also known as Flourgon, had alleged in the lawsuit that Cyrus had used his material in her song, We Can't Stop, without his permission.
Apart from Cyrus, May had also included Sony Music, RCA Records, Miley's manager, Larry Rudolph, and the song's writers and producers in his copyright infringement suit.
What were the allegations against the singer?
In 2018, May filed a lawsuit against Cyrus alleging that the singer used his phrase 'We run things/ things no run we' by slightly altering it to "We run things/ Things don't run we" sung in the chorus of her song We Can't Stop. The original lyrics were part of May's song, 'We Run Things,' released in 1988. Defending their client, May's lawyers had argued that the Cyrus song substantially incorporated his vocal melody/rhythm/cadence/inflexion along with a substantially similar hook.
According to CNN, apart from seeking monetary compensation, May also asked the court to ban the song from ever being distributed or performed. He also claimed that without his original song, the entire theme of We Can't Stop would be hollow in sound and impact. The party song, We Can't Stop, was part of the Cyrus' fourth album Bangerz released in June 2013. Soon it went on to become No. 2 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart, in August the same year.
Terms of settlement not disclosed
While the terms of the settlement remain undisclosed, it is learnt that Cyrus and Sony have filed a joint stipulation in Manhattan Federal court, ending the lawsuit with prejudice, which means that following the final judgement, the plaintiff cannot approach the court again to file a case against them on the same grounds.
The singer's attorney said that the settlement agreement had been finalised on December 12 which would be filed 'pending payment of the settlement proceeds.' Cyrus, took to Instagram page to wish her fans on the new year. She posted her picture along with a caption: 'New Year New Era'.
Cyrus shot into limelight following her successful start in Hannah Montana series on Disney Channel. Later, she switched over to singing and soon performed along with legends including Madonna, Elton John, and Dolly Parton.
