'Blurred Lines' jury orders songwriters to pay $7.4 million for copyright infringement

March 12, 2015 9:59 am Published by Leave your thoughts

A Los Angeles jury decided today that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams illegally drew from Marvin Gaye's 1977 hit "Got to Give It Up" when they wrote the smash hit "Blurred Lines."

The jury ordered Thicke and Williams to pay a substantial sum to the Gaye estate, a total of $7.4 million dollars — $4 million in copyright damages plus profits attributable to infringement, which for Thicke was determined to be $1.8 million and for Williams was determined to be $1.6 million. 

The lawsuit began in 2013, when Thicke and Williams filed a preemptive complaint, claiming that they had been threatened Gaye's family and Funkadelic's rights owner who asserted that "Blurred Lines" was not an original piece. The suit stated, "Plaintiffs, who have the utmost respect for and admiration of Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic and their musical legacies, reluctantly file this action in the face of multiple adverse claims from alleged successors in interest to those artists. Defendants continue to insist that plaintiffs' massively successful composition, 'Blurred Lines,' copies 'their' compositions."

The Gaye's estate soon hit back with their own litigation claiming that Thicke had ripped of "Got to Give It Up," as well as Gaye's "After the Dance" and "I Want You" on Thicke's 2011 album Love After War.

For over a year juror's heard passionate testimony from both sides, including sordid tales of Thicke being drunk and high on Vicodin when he recorded "Blurred Lines", claims that Williams was the mastermind being the song and the performance of a musical medley — along with "Got to Give It Up" and tunes by U2, the Beatles and Michael Jackson — on keyboard, courtesy of Thicke. 

In the end, the jury decided that while Thicke and Williams may not have willfully infringed copyright law, the two songs were similar enough to require compensation.

If you work with copyrighted material or intellectual property it is important to consult with an experienced business attorney. As this story shows it is imperative to protect yourself and your property against litigation. 

Related posts:

  1. Key evidence to be left out of "Blurred Lines" copyright trial
  2. Court will consider the ‘Blurred Lines’ between homage and theft
  3. Court will consider the ‘Blurred Lines’ between homage and theft
  4. Hozier launches suit refuting "Take Me to Church" plagiarism claims

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