December 10, 2015 Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Litigation / Music

Pharrell, Thicke, and T.I. Appeal “Blurred Lines” Decision

Earlier this year, a jury awarded the Marvin Gaye family $7.36 million from Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and T.I. for copying Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up” when writing their hit song “Blurred Lines.” On Monday, December 7, 2015, Thicke, Pharrell, and T.I. appealed to the Ninth Circuit.

The copyright infringement suit was commenced in August 2013 in a California federal court by the Estate of Marvin Gaye. The Estate argued that “Blurred Lines” — the most popular song in the world in 2013 …

March 11, 2015 Copyright / Litigation / Music

Jury Finds “Blurred Lines” a Copy, Awards Gaye Family $7.36 Million

On Tuesday, March 10, a California Jury determined that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams copied Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give it Up” in writing their hit song “Blurred Lines,” awarding $7.36 million in damages to Gaye’s children.

Back in August of 2013, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams filed a preemptive lawsuit to declare that their hit song “Blurred Lines” did not infringe on the copyright of Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give it Up.” Ever since that point, the music world has …

March 6, 2015 Copyright / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Music

The Secret Is Out: How Much Artists Make on a Hit Like “Blurred Lines”

$16.6 million. That is the profit that the hit song “Blurred Lines” has generated since its release. While the profitability of a song is highly guarded secret in the industry, Robin Thicke was forced to reveal the number during the copyright infringement trial. Of the total profit, he and Pharrell Williams each took over $5 million.

The copyright infringement dispute arose when the family of deceased “Got to Give It Up” singer Marvin Gaye sued Thicke over allegedly ripping off Gaye’s song. Arguing …

February 28, 2015 Copyright / Music

Robin Thicke Takes Center Stage in Court to Show No Copyright Infringement

From the witness box in a federal courtroom in Los Angeles, Robin Thicke sang, played the piano, and even danced a bit to demonstrate to the jury that his song did not infringe on Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up.”

Thicke’s performance took place after U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt held in a pre-trial hearing that the jury would not hear the actual sound recording of Gaye’s 1977 hit. Since Gaye’s performance in the original recording is not at issue, the …

January 29, 2015 Copyright / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Music

“Blurred Lines” Copyright Lawsuit Jury Barred from Listening to Original “Got To Give It Up”

Despite the alleged similarities between Robin Thicke’s hit song “Blurred Lines” and Marvin Gaye’s 1977 “Got To Give It Up,” the jury sitting in the copyright infringement suit will not hear the original recording of the song at all. On January 26, U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt in a pre-trial hearing ruled that the actual sound recording of the 1977 hit would be barred.

Judge Krondstadt ruled because Gaye’s performance in the original recording is not at issue, allowing interpretations of the musical …

November 4, 2014 Copyright / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Music

“Blurred Lines” Copyright Suit Set to Go to Trial

On Thursday, October 30, a California District Judge denied Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams’ motion for summary judgment to end the suit revolving around their song “Blurred Lines.”

The recording artist and his producer went on the offensive in August 2013 by filing a lawsuit seeking declaratory relief to protect their song “Blurred Lines” from Bridgeport Music and Marvin Gaye’s children, who were threatening their own actions claiming copyright violations. The plaintiffs filed a motion for summary judgment to end the lawsuit in their favor …

Thicke Says No “Blurred Line” Between Idea and Expression

While news stories last week reported about Thicke’s admission during deposition that he did not write the hit song “Blurred Line,” Thicke on Monday responded to a memorandum filed by the Gayes family and Bridgeport Music, Inc. in opposition of Thicke’s Thicke v. Gaye.

Thicke criticized the expert witness for the Gayes was less persuasive as she failed to provide any transcription analysis possibly to avoid revealing “how different the notes are.” Thicke further claimed his musicologist’s analysis dissecting the alleged similar parts into …

September 17, 2014 Litigation / Music

Thicke “Blurred” His Writing Credit

“Blurred Lines,” the pop song that became an instant hit and put Robin Thicke on the map is back in the lime light. When the song was noted for its similarity to Marvin Gaye’s 1977 classic “Got to Give it Up,” “Blurred Lines” “writers” Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and Clifford “T.I.” filed suit against the estate of Marvin Gaye to protect their song against claims of being a rip-off. Gaye’s estate filed a cross-complaint accusing the plaintiffs of making an unauthorized derivative of “Got to Give …

September 6, 2013 Copyright / Intellectual Property / Intellectual Property, Copyright, and Trademark / Litigation / Music

Marvin Gaye Estate to Robin Thicke: Let’s Get It On

Robin Thicke was back in the news this past week. No, we’re not talking about his provocative appearance with Miley Cyrus at the MTV Video Music Awards, which garnered him — and his performance partner — attention the world over. A recent development regarding the undisputed song of the summer, “Blurred Lines,” has Thicke wondering whether he’s “Got To Give It Up.” It was reported that the Estate of Marvin Gaye rejected a “six-figure” offer to settle a copyright infringement lawsuit against Thicke.

This comes …