The pop stars were ordered to pay $7.3 million (£4.9 million) to the family of late music legend Marvin Gaye after a judge ruled they had copied elements of his track Got to Give It Up for their 2013 chart hit.

Flowers has now become one of the few stars to speak out in favour of the verdict, insisting he agrees with the ruling "150 per cent" and hopes other artists will now think twice about copying tunes.

He tells Britain's NME magazine, "(There) are so many bands who should get sued... I'm so sick of hearing people steal. I hate it... I hear it all the time, but I'm not gonna tell you which bands. I won't because I don't wanna start a whole thing."