NATIONAL WEEKLY | THURSDAY, JAN 9 – JAN 15, 2020 | VOL. 17 NO. 2
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We Run Things
WEARY OF WAR by Garth A. Rose
Miley Cyrus Settles $300M Lawsuit With Dancehall Artist Flourgon
Earlier this week, the United States government urged Americans in the Caribbean and other countries to exercise caution due to “heightened tension in the Middle East,” as Washington doubled down on ordering last week’s targeted missile strike that killed senior Iranian general Qassem Soleimani.
Cnweeklynews.com Jamaican dancehall artist Flourgon is celebrating a win for himself and for others in the industry in light of his legal victory against popular American entertainer Miley Cyrus. The former Disney star has settled her legal wrangling with Flourgon, who filed a US$300-million lawsuit accusing her of using a lyric from one of his songs in her 2013 smash hit, “We Can't Stop.” Flourgon, whose real name is Michael May, claimed a lyric was stolen from his 1988 single, “We Run Things.” He further accused Cyrus and her label RCA Records, owned by Sony Corp, of misappropriating his material, including the lyrics, “We run things, things no run we,” which she sings as “We run things, things don't run we.” Although for months Cyrus and her team argued against the lawsuit, claiming that a single lyric isn’t protected by copyright, the case advanced. Flourgon’s lead attorney, Irwin Clare, a Jamaican-American from the New York-based law firm of Drummond and Squillace, acknowledged that the judge presiding over the lawsuit, in an earlier hearing, had reduced expectations of a $300 million payout. The suit was settled out of court and for an unspecified amount. However, there is widespread confusion about the amount that the suit was actually settled for. According to Clare, the amount of the settlement has been “exaggerated and speculative.” According to Reuters, Cyrus, Flourgon, Sony and other defendants also filed a joint stipulation in Manhattan Federal Court ending the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning it cannot be filed again. Clare, however, said the settlement is a win for Jamaican entertainers, whose music is often sampled by international musicians
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Produced by Redman International, “We Run Things” was one of the biggest dancehall songs of 1988. However, Flourgon did not register it until 2017, four years following the release of Miley’s “We Can’t Stop.” without the appropriate credit given. “It’s a good thing for Jamaican artists who have long been abused of their intellectual property rights, and this verdict demonstrates that when there is effective support and the expertise assembled, good can happen.” Veteran Jamaican producer Cleveland “Clevie” Browne, who was partially responsible for creating the rhythm for the Flourgon single, told the Jamaica Observer he is pleased with Flourgon winning the lawsuit. He said the settlement was “morally right and just” because someone did steal a line from the artist’s intellectual property. Cyrus’ song “We Can’t Stop” was written and produced by a team which included Rock City, an American musical duo from St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Responding to the settlement, Flourgon was reported as saying, “I'm really grateful for what has happened...because my lawyers worked very hard. What I did was to make sure that other artists in continues on B4 – We Run Things
However, Caribbean-Americans in South Florida did not need to get this message from the U.S. government to be cautious at what could be a serious conflict with global repercussions from the increase in military tensions between the U.S. and Iran. Although many Caribbean-Americans have admitted to not knowing who Qassam Soleimani was, or of the atrocities he was involved with in targeting Americans and American interest in the Middle East, most expressed to CNW that they believe killing the Iranian general was “bad timing.” “If this man was such an influential, and beloved leader in Iran, I think much more thought should have been given by the administration in assassinating him. Killing him was bound to result in drastic action from Iran, in an already tense U.S.-Iran relationship,” said Bridgette Mosely, international relations postgraduate student at Florida International University. On Wednesday morning, following news of Iran's retaliatory launch of missiles on U.S.-occupied bases in Iran, Lesline Auguste, a Trinidadian-American registered nurse at continues on B4 – Weary of war
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