Robin Thicke and Pharrell Ordered to Pay Marvin Gaye’s Family in ‘Blurred Lines’ Ruling

Marvin Gaye’s kids have been awarded $7.3 million after a jury in Los Angeles ruled Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams copied portions of the soul legend’s “Got to Give It Up” for their hit “Blurred Lines.”

The federal panel declared Williams infringed on Gaye’s 1977 hit when he wrote “Blurred Lines” for Thicke.
The trial lasted two weeks and featured testimony from both Williams and Thicke, who performed a medley of other people’s classics in a bid to prove how similar some songs sound.

Gaye’s kids contended they instantly recognised striking similarities between their father’s number one hit and “Blurred Lines,” and a musicologist they called to the witness stand confirmed there was a “constellation” of eight similar elements which featured in both songs.

An attorney for the Gaye children claimed the two tracks’ bass and keyboard lines and hook were identical.
During his testimony, Williams insisted he was not thinking about Gaye’s music when he wrote “Blurred Lines,” but admitted the song may have had the “feel” of the soul great, because he has always been a big fan.

Photo Credit:Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com/ JStone / Shutterstock.com

Responses

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *