‘Blurred Lines’ Crossed The Line, Now Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams Have To Give Up The Cash

“Blurred Lines,” the hit song of 2013, apparently crossed the line–the copyright line that is–and now singer Robin Thicke and songwriter Pharrell Williams have to give up the cash.

The song sounded a bit too much like the late R&B singer Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up,” at least to an L.A. jury. The Gaye estate was awarded $7.4 million of the nearly $17 million in profits from “Blurred Lines.”

Of the $7.4 million in damages, Robin will pay $1.77 million and Pharrell will pay about $1.6 million.

The jury reached a verdict after five days in court. Performances by Pharrell, Robin, and T.I. were part of the trial in an effort to explain the differences between the two songs.

Robin was portrayed in a less than favorable light by some of his past behaviors, including obtaining a song writing credit for the mega hit in question, although he barely contributed.

In 2014, Robin swore in a deposition that he was drunk and high on Vicodin when he recorded the song and Pharrell wrote “almost every part of the song.”

When Nona Gaye, daughter of Marvin Gaye, first heard “Blurred Lines,” she said it sounded like her father’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up.”

T.I. (legal name Clifford Harris Jr.) performed back-up vocals in one version of “Blurred Lines” and appeared in the video, but he and the record company were held harmless in the lawsuit.

In 2013, when Pharrell, Robin, and T.I. heard that the Gaye estate and published Bridgeport Music estate planned to sue them, the three preemptively sued claiming “Blurred Lines” was “strikingly different” than “Got to Give It Up.”

Thicke’s lawyer then disputed the claims of the Gaye estate which includes children, Nona, Frankie, and Marvin Gaye III.

“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.”

Richard Busch, attorney for the Gaye estate said the copied elements in the song included the bass and keyboard line, the hook and a repeated theme–with the exception of two bars.

Below is a mash-up version of “Blurred Lines” and “Got To Give Up” for comparison.

Bush made multiple statements about how Pharrell and Robin wrote the song.

Robin said in interviews that he asked Williams to help write something like “Got to Give It Up,” and Williams said he was pretending to be Marvin Gaye while writing the song. But attorneys for the singers said the statements were only made to try to sell the song.

After the verdict was announced, Nona made a statement to the press.

“Right now I feel free. Free from… Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke’s chains and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told.”

Pharrell issued a statement through his spokesperson Amanda Silverman.

“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.”

Since the verdict was announced, there’s been no word from Robin.

What do you think about the “Blurred Lines” verdict?

[Image: Hypebeast]