Marvin Gaye Estates Wins 7.3 Million Dollar Settlement For Robin Thicke Use Of Their Father Music "Got To Give It Up"

Marvin Gaye Estates Wins 7.3 Million Dollar
Settlement For Robin Thicke Use Of Their Father Music "Got To Give It Up"

BHR Hollywood Reports....Good artists borrow. Great artists steal.

On Tuesday, a California federal
jury delivered its own message to artists everywhere that inspiration can rise to copyright infringement.

Robin Thicke And Pharrell Williams 

Marvin Gaye

The verdict was reached after eight days of trial testimony examining whether Robin Thicke's and Pharrell Williams' "Blurred Lines," one of the most successful songs of the young century, was improperly drawn from a soulful hallmark from the prior one — Marvin Gaye's 1977 hit "Got to Give It Up."

Ultimately, a jury comprised of five women and three men heard dueling opinions regarding "Blurred Lines"

Nona Gaye

 and decided to order Thicke and Williams to pay $4 million in copyright damages plus profits attributable to infringement, which for Thicke was determined to be $1.8 million and for Williams was determined to be $1.6 million. Both escaped statutory damages as the infringement was found not to be willful.

The judge ruled that Thicke and WIlliams crossed the line and awarded $7.3m to the Gaye kids, following the success of the Grammy-nominate blockbuster “Blurred Lines,” which the children insisted copied their dad’s track.

“Right now, I feel free,” Nona Gaye tells reporters after the ruling. “Free from… Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke’s chains and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told.”

“Blurred Lines” generated more than $16m in profits and made more than $5m for both stars.