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11 March 2015Copyright

Marvin Gaye family awarded $7.3m in Blurred Lines copyright case

A US court has ordered the writers of hit song Blurred Lines to pay late soul singer Marvin Gaye’s family more than $7 million after a jury said the song infringed his copyright.

A jury at the US District Court for the Central District of California decided on Tuesday (March 10) that the 2013 song, penned by singers Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke, breached the copyright of Gaye’s 1977 hit Got To Give It Up.

Gaye died in April 1984, leaving the copyright of his music to his family. His children—Nona, Frankie and Marvin Gaye III—sued Thicke and Williams in 2013.

The family has been awarded $7.3m in total.

During the trial, Williams discussed the song-creation process and said that while Blurred Lines "channels that ’70s feeling, to feel isn’t copyright infringement”.

He added: “The last thing you want to do as a creator is take something of someone else’s when you love him.”

It was revealed during proceedings that sales of Blurred Lines exceeded $16 million with Thicke and Williams having made more than $5 million each.

Record producer and rapper T.I, real name Clifford Harris, who was also named in the lawsuit, was found not liable for infringement as his part in the song, a rapped segment, was added later.

Richard Busch, an attorney at law firm King & Ballow and who represented Gaye’s family in the case, told music magazine Rolling Stone that he will now seek an injunction to stop the sale of Blurred Lines.

“We'll be asking the court to enter an injunction prohibiting the further sale and distribution of Blurred Lines unless and until we can reach an agreement with those guys on the other side.”

In a statement outside the court, Gaye’s daughter Nona said: “Right now, I feel free.”

Howard King, a partner at law firm  King Holmes Paterno & Berliner and who represented Williams and Thicke, said in a statement: “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.

“We are reviewing the decision, considering our options and you will hear more from us soon about this matter.”

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More on this story

Copyright
25 August 2016   Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke, the writers of hit song “Blurred Lines”, have appealed against last year’s high profile ruling which found the pair liable for infringing the copyright to a Marvin Gaye song.
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31 August 2016   The writers of hit song “Blurred Lines” experienced yesterday an outpouring of support from fellow musicians following their appeal against last year’s high-profile copyright ruling.
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22 March 2018   Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams’ hit song “Blurred Lines” infringed the copyright of one of Marvin Gaye’s songs, according to an appeals court.