Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson’s mega hit, “Uptown Funk,” has done more than just get certified Diamond and become one of the biggest singles ever made – it has also become the focal point of legal issues claiming copyright infringement. The latest lawsuit comes from the funk band Collage, who says the duo ripped off their 1983 song, “Young Girls.”
Like most copyright infringement lawsuits regarding music, the complaint claims that “Uptown Funk” has similarities that are “deliberately and clearly copied” from their “Young Girls” track (which, funnily enough, also happens to be the name of a Mars song, too). Playing the two tracks one after another, you can definitely hear some similarities, but it probably won’t be enough to award any royalties.
Then again, “Uptown Funk” has already had additional co-writers added to the song in 2015 due to a legal claim from The Gap Band, who said the song copied from one of theirs from 1979. Even this year, girl group The Sequence said they were copied as well, but nothing ever came from it.
It seems like the song just can’t catch a break, but it isn’t a surprise considering how much money it’s made over the past few years. Still, Bruno Mars has little to worry about regardless of the outcome with this new lawsuit: his new album, 24k Magic, is coming soon, and he’ll probably be shooting for another “Uptown Funk” with those songs, too.