Oh, Robin!
On Tuesday (10th March), a Los Angeles jury decided that Robin Thicke and Pharrell copied a 1977 Marvin Gaye song in recording their 2013 hit “Blurred Lines”. According to Rolling Stone, Robin Thicke noticeably ripped off Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up” when he wrote the smash hit “Blurred Lines” with Pharrell Williams and T.I.
As such, both Robin and co-songwriter Pharrell must “award” Gaye’s family a whopping total of USD7.3 million as part of the ruling.
Strangely, Robin and Pharrell’s lawyer had previously asked the jury:
Why would Mr. Williams need to copy anyone to create a hit?
The verdict puts to rest over a year’s worth of legal drama (since August 2013) between Robin Thicke and Marvin Gaye’s estate, in which the latter sought USD25 million in damages, citing portions of the publishing, the profit from the song, and record company overhead.
After the case was concluded, a spokesperson for Pharrell told Rolling Stone:
While we respect the judicial process, we are extremely disappointed in the ruling made today, which sets a horrible precedent for music and creativity going forward. Pharrell created “Blurred Lines” from his heart, mind and soul and the song was not taken from anyone or anywhere else. We are reviewing the decision, considering our options and you will hear more from us soon about this matter.
“Blurred Lines” was the No. 1 song on Billboard’s 2013 year-end US pop songs chart.
Representatives for Thicke and Gaye’s estate were not immediately available for comment.
Source: Rolling Stone.
