There weren’t any “Blurred Lines” in a Los Angeles court today, where a jury ordered music stars Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams to pony up a whopping $7.3 million, because their 2013 megahit too closely resembled the aptly named Marvin Gaye song “Got to Give It Up.”
The decision follows a lengthy court battle that saw Gaye’s estate pursue $25 million in damages over the song, which topped charts around the world, after Thicke, Williams and T.I. had preemptively sued Gaye’s side for threatening legal action.
“The intent in producing 'Blurred Lines' was to evoke an era,” Thicke's lawyers wrote in the suit. “In reality, the Gaye defendants are claiming ownership of an entire genre, as opposed to a specific work, and Bridgeport is claiming the same work.”
According to Rolling Stone, Gaye’s estate in turn claimed that Thicke had not only unlawfully borrowed from “Got To Give It Up,” but also “After the Dance” and “I Want You.” The family also pointed to interviews where Thicke said he’d borrowed from Gaye, that “Got to Give It Up” was one of his favourite songs, and that he wanted to create a song with Williams that had the same groove.
Later, Thicke claimed that he was high on drugs and barely involved in the making of the song.
In court, it was revealed that the song earned its composers almost $17 million—$5.6 of which went to Thicke, $5.2 million went to Williams, and $700,000 went to T.I. Williams earned an additional $4.3 million in publishing and $860,000 for producing.
Representatives from both sides have not yet commented on the decision.
And here someone has put the two together:
Related:
Robin Thicke, Marvin Gaye and the 10 biggest music rips of all time
by Jennifer Van Evra via Electronic RSS
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