Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke lost their appeal in their “Blurred Lines” lawsuit against Marvin Gaye’s estate.
The duo was ordered to pay the music legend’s estate $5.3 million for copyright infringement of the 1977 classic “Got To Give It Up.” Marvin Gay’s estate won the “Blurred Lines” lawsuit against Pharrell and Robin Thicke in 2015 and was ordered to pay $7.3 million in damages back then. T.I. was let off the hook although he was featured on the track. The legal battle has been going on since 2013 and since to have concluded now with the rapper and the singer left with a hefty bill and a lot of legal fees.
The rapper and the singer filed an appeal arguing that the two songs are very different and that the original verdict handicap music creators who would want to create something inspired by something else.
An appeal court judge sees it differently and ordered the Pharrell and Robin Thicke to fork over $5.3 million in damages and fifty percent of all royalties. T.I., who was listed a songwriter on the song, was let off the hook and is not responsible for any of the damages.
As for Pharrell and Thicke, it’s unclear what direction they will now go, but the song was hugely successful and the royalties alone likely run in the millions, as well as, the $5.3 million in damages will set back the two artists a lot of money.
