‘Blurred Lines’ Verdict: Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams to Pay $7.4 Million in Copyright Case

Jurors in the high-profile trial deliberated for two days before the ruling

After two weeks in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the “Blurred Lines” copyright infringement trial has finally come to an end. The eight member jury voted unanimously that Robin Thicke and song producer Pharrell Williams had infringed on the 1977 Marvin Gaye song “Got To Give It Up.”
The jury found that Thicke and Williams had infringed on the tune, but not rapper T.I, who was also named as a party in the suit. The eight jurors also determined that the infringement was not willful, but also not innocent.


The jury awarded the Gaye family $4 million in damages, with profits of more than $1,600,000 from Williams and more than $1,760,099 from Thicke. Statutory damages of $9,375 were assessed.

Also Read: ‘Blurred Lines’ Trial Nearly Doubles Sales of Disputed Marvin Gaye Song

Overall, the Gayes were awarded just shy of $7.4 million.


An audible gasp was heard in the courtroom as the verdict was read.


“We did not start this fight … Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke started this lawsuit,” Richard Busch,  attorney for the Gayes, said outside of the courthouse after the verdict was handed down.


“We fought this fight with one arm tied behind our back,” Busch added, referring to the fact that the Gaye side was not allowed to play the recording of “Got To Give It Up” to the jurors during the trial.

Also Read: ‘Blurred Lines’ Trial Reveals Pharrell Williams-Robin Thicke Song Made $16.6 Million

Busch added that he expects an appeal on the verdict, but believes that Thicke and Williams do not have a basis for appeal.


“Right now I feel free from Robin Thicke and Pharrell’s chain … and the lies,” a tearful Nona Gaye — daughter of Marvin Gaye, who died in 1984 — said outside of the courthouse, adding that the verdict was “a miracle.”


Gaye told TheWrap that she feels “vindicated” by the verdict, adding that, if her father were there, he’d be singing and dancing to “Got To Give It Up.”

Also Read: Robin Thicke Performs Music Medley on Stand During ‘Blurred Lines’ Copyright Trial

Gaye’s son, Marvin Gaye III, said that it is a “wonderful day for artists and music.”

Howard King, attorney for Thicke and Williams, noted, “We are disappointed, but we know in our heart and soul that the song came from Pharrell Williams.”

Thicke initially filed a preemptive lawsuit against relatives of Marvin Gaye in 2013, after the family claimed that “Blurred Lines” copied Gaye’s song. Gaye’s relatives subsequently filed a counterclaim against singer Thicke, producer Williams and rapper T.I., claiming their chart-topping single ripped off Gaye’s 1977 song.

During the trial, it was revealed that “Blurred Lines” sales exceeded $16 million with Thicke and Williams having made over $5 million each; T.I. earned more than $700,000.


The trial showed video of media interviews with Thicke and Williams saying they were inspired by Marvin Gaye and wanted to channel “Got To Give It Up” with “Blurred Lines.”


On the stand, however, Thicke stated that he was high on vodka and Vicodin during
all of those interviews.


Williams testified that he only realized he had channeled the older single after having released “Blurred Lines.” He claimed any similarities were not pre-conceived.


Thicke also said on the stand that he has been referred to as “the white Marvin Gaye,” and he embellished his interviews once people started telling him that “Blurred Lines” was similar to “Got To Give It Up.”


None of the Gaye children took the stand. But Jan Gaye, Marvin’s ex-wife, and mother of Nona and Frankie and stepmother to Marvin III, testified that when she first heard “Blurred Lines” she liked it and was thankful that it was breathing new life into “Got To Give It Up,” to which she had contributed vocals and told the court was one of Marvin Gaye’s personal favorites.


She had initially tweeted a thank you to Williams and Thicke. However she said, on the stand, that at that time, she assumed “Blurred Lines” had been properly licensed from “Got To Give It Up.”


Gaye’s three children, Nona, Frankie and Marvin III also claimed that Thicke and his former wife Paula Patton, with whom he co-wrote the 2011 single “Love After War,” infringed upon Marvin Gaye’s 1976 song “After the Dance.”


The Gaye children own the copyright to the Marvin Gaye sheet music registered with the Copyright Office. The commercial sound recording of “Got To Give It Up” was determined by the judge to be inadmissible evidence and it was not played during the trial beyond modified versions which the judge allowed. “Blurred Lines,” however, was played in court several times.


During one unusual and lively day at the trial, Thicke used a keyboard to play a medley of songs by U2, Alphaville and The Beatles to show that you can use similar chords to create many different songs.


In closing arguments, each side accused the other of using distractions and confusion to detract from the real issues in the case. While the Gayes’ attorney said it was patently obvious to anyone who has heard “Blurred Lines” that it is a copy of “Got To Give It Up,” lawyers for the Thick party said you can not copyright a groove or an era.