Robin Thicke's spectacular fall from grace continues to hit new lows, as the artist has official lost a legal battle with Marvin Gaye's estate. He and cowriter Pharrell have been accused of ripping Gaye off, for their once-ubiquitous single "Blurred Lines." They'll now be forced to pay up.
The trial ran for two weeks, in which time Pharrell, T.I., Thicke and his ex-wife Paula Patton all testified. At one point, Thicke performed a piano medley for some reason.
According to an AP report, a jury ruled that the artists must pay $7.4 million to Gaye's daughters. It was previously revealed that Thicke and Pharrell each made over $5 million for the song.
"Right now, I feel free," Nona Gaye, Marvin's daughter, said after the verdict. "Free from... Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke's claims and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told."
Billboard reports that Howard King, lawyer to Pharrell and Thicke, said this ruling would set a dangerous precedent for future copyright cases. "The wrong decision here will stifle musicians and the record companies that finance them [in signifying] that you cannot honor a genre, a style or a groove," he said. "This is more important than money. This affects the creativity of young musicians."
Decide for yourself with a mashup of both songs below.
Update: Gaye's estate is now aiming to block sales of the song. "We'll be asking the court to enter an injunction prohibiting the further sale and distribution of 'Blurred Lines' unless and until we can reach an agreement with those guys on the other side about how future monies that are received will be shared," attorney Richard Busch told Rolling Stone. "We'll be doing that in about a week or so."
The trial ran for two weeks, in which time Pharrell, T.I., Thicke and his ex-wife Paula Patton all testified. At one point, Thicke performed a piano medley for some reason.
According to an AP report, a jury ruled that the artists must pay $7.4 million to Gaye's daughters. It was previously revealed that Thicke and Pharrell each made over $5 million for the song.
"Right now, I feel free," Nona Gaye, Marvin's daughter, said after the verdict. "Free from... Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke's claims and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told."
Billboard reports that Howard King, lawyer to Pharrell and Thicke, said this ruling would set a dangerous precedent for future copyright cases. "The wrong decision here will stifle musicians and the record companies that finance them [in signifying] that you cannot honor a genre, a style or a groove," he said. "This is more important than money. This affects the creativity of young musicians."
Decide for yourself with a mashup of both songs below.
Update: Gaye's estate is now aiming to block sales of the song. "We'll be asking the court to enter an injunction prohibiting the further sale and distribution of 'Blurred Lines' unless and until we can reach an agreement with those guys on the other side about how future monies that are received will be shared," attorney Richard Busch told Rolling Stone. "We'll be doing that in about a week or so."
