Marvin Gaye’s family have been awarded almost $5 million as the Blurred Lines copyright case finally comes to an end after five years, according to a CNN report.
Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were accused of copyright infringement by the Gaye estate, which alleged that their 2013 hit Blurred Lines plagiarised Marvin Gaye’s 1977 song, Got to Give It Up.
The song was a No.1 hit in the US and the UK.
In 2015 the pair were ordered to pay $7.3m to the Marvin Gaye estate after a week-long trial, in which both writers strongly denied the allegations.
That sum was later reduced to $5.3m.
In March 2018 the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit upheld a 2015 verdict which concluded that Blurred Lines infringed on the copyright attributed Got To Give It Up.
The Ninth Circuit panel voted 2-1 to retain the previous verdict against Thicke and Williams, including the $5.3m in damages.
The appeals court also cleared Clifford “TI” Harris and Interscope Records of any infringement.
Thicke and Williams were said to have earned $5m each for the song, with co-writer T.I taking home about $700,000.
Blurred Lines generated a total of $16.5m in revenue, costing Universal Music Group an estimated $6.9m in overheads.
Music Business Worldwide
