Bruno Mars And Mark Ronson's 'Uptown Funk' Infringes Copyright Of Collage's 'Young Girls,' Says Report

By K. Aviles - 31 Oct '16 07:56AM

Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson are facing copyright infringement over the two artists' collaborative project "Uptown Funk," a single that became number one both in the U.S. and in the U.K. The single is also a track on Uptown Special, fourth album of Ronson.

Collage, an electro-funk band based in Minneapolis, filed a complaint against the two singers, alleging that the single "Uptown Funk" is an obvious, strikingly and/or substantially similar copy of the band's "Young Girls" which was released in 1983. The band seeks damages and revenues.

"Upon information and belief, many of the main instrumental attributes and themes of "Uptown Funk" are deliberately and clearly copied from "Young Girls," the complaint reads, "including, but not limited to, the distinct funky specifically noted and timed consistent guitar guitar riffs present throughout the compositions, virtually if not identical bass notes and sequence, rhythm, structure, crescendo of horns and synthesizers, rendering the compositions almost indistinguishable if played over and each other, and strikingly similar if played in consecutively," the complaint continues to read as quoted by Pitch Fork.

Also indicted in the copyright lawsuit are RCA Records, Warner/Chappell Music, Atlantic Records, Jeff Bhasker, Phillip Lawrence, Devon Gallaspy and Trinidad James, among others. The suit, initiated by Larry White, the only surviving member of Collage, also named the estates of Lee Peters and Grady Wilkins as the plaintiffs.

This is not the first time that "Uptown Funk," which was released on November 10, 2014, is in controversy. TMZ reported that an all-female rap group, The Sequence, claims Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson copied its "Uptown Funk" from their single "Funk You UP." No lawsuit was, however, filed.

"Uptown Funk" won as Grammy Award's Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Record of the Year. It remained number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 14 consecutive weeks.