A federal appeals court has upheld a $5.3 million judgment against Robin Thicke and producer Pharrell Williams for plagiarizing a Marvin Gaye classic to create their 2013 hit, “Blurred Lines.”
The original 2015 verdict found Thicke and Williams guilty of unrightfully using Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” to create the summer anthem. The pair soon filed to appeal the judgment, which has just come back, once again, in favor of the Gaye family, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Gaye’s 1977 party-starter deserved “broad” copyright protection, allowing the verdict to stand because there was “not an absolute absence of evidence” of similarities between the two tracks.
Compare the two songs below.
In addition to the $5.3 million judgment, Reuters reports that Gaye’s estate will receive 50 percent of future royalties from “Blurred Lines.” Featured artist T.I. was not found liable.
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