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Report: Bruno Mars, Mark Ronson Sued Over “Uptown Funk”

A copyright infringement lawsuit has been filed by 1980s funk band Collage.

October 30, 2016

Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' Grammy Award-winning hit single, "Uptown Funk," has landed the duo in hot water, following a report from TMZ that the pair are now being sued by 1980s funk band Collage for alleged copyright infringement. According to members of the group, "Uptown Funk" bears an "almost indistinguishable" resemblance to their 1983 song "Young Girls."

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Here's the full complaint obtained by Pitchfork: “Upon information and belief, many of the main instrumental attributes and themes of ‘Uptown Funk’ are deliberately and clearly copied from ‘Young Girls,’ including, but not limited to, the distinct funky specifically noted and timed consistent 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 each other and strikingly similar if played in consecutively.”

Neither Bruno Mars nor Mark Ronson have issued public statements about the lawsuit, but in the meantime, compare the songs below and judge for yourself:

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The FADER has reached out to RCA Records for comment on the lawsuit.

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