Friday, August 16, 2013

Robin Thicke Suing Marvin Gaye's Estate


Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and Clifford 'Tip' Harris are suing the estate of Marvin Gaye to protected their hit single "Blurred Lines."
In order to shield "Blurred Lines," the hottest hit of the summer, Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and Clifford Harris, Jr. are going to court.
A lawsuit was filed Thursday in California federal court by the trio against Marvin Gaye's family and Bridgeport Music, which owns some of Funkadelic's compositions. At issue are complaints about similarities between "Blurred Lines" and at least two songs.
According to the suit, a copy of which was obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, "Plaintiffs, who have the utmost respect for and admiration of Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic and their musical legacies, reluctantly file this action in the face of multiple adverse claims from alleged successors in interest to those artists.
Defendants continue to insist that plaintiffs' massively successful composition, 'Blurred Lines,' copies 'their' compositions."
The suit claims the Gaye family is alleging that "Blurred Lines" and Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" "feel" or "sound" the same, and that the "Gaye defendants are claiming ownership of an entire genre, as opposed to a specific work."
As for Funkadelic, there's said to be claimed similarity between Thicke's hit and Funakedlic's "Sexy Ways."
"But there are no similarities between plaintiffs' composition and those the claimants allege they own, other than commonplace musical elements," states the lawsuit. "Plaintiffs created a hit and did it without copying anyone else's composition."
A New York TImes critic has noted that "Blurred Lines" is "influenced heavily" by Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up,” but the lawsuit makes the point that "being reminiscent of a 'sound' is not copyright infringement.
The intent in producing 'Blurred Lines' was to evoke an era."
The Gayes and Bridgeport are said to be threatening litigation should the plaintiffs not pay a monetary settlement. Rather than wait for such a lawsuit to proceed, the plaintiffs are going to court to determine the parties' respective rights and obligations.
In seeking a judgment, Thicke, Williams and Harris Jr. are not only looking for a declaration that their song doesn't violate the defendants' rights by copying their songs, but also that the "Gayes do not have an interest in the copyright to the composition 'Got To Give It Up' sufficient to confer standing on them to pursue claims of infringement of that composition."
The plaintiffs are represented by Howard King and Stephen Rothschild of King, Holmes, Paterno & Berliner. THR has reached out to the defendants for comment and update with a response.
Jacked from Billboard

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Robin Thicke should definitely have to pay whomever owns the rights to Got To Give It Up. The songs sound so much alike I just assumed he must have paid to sample it. Robin Thicke, GTFOH with that "I didn't steal it" schtick.

Anonymous said...

He knows good and damn well he owes that estate money. Anybody who doesn't hear the similarities doesn't want to.

nba is fixed said...

I lost all respect for Robin Thicke and his drugged out wife!

Anonymous said...

If I remember correctly, he did an interview where he stated himself that he wanted this song to sound like Marvin Gaye's "got to give it up". And how much he admired Gaye's sound. SO he needs to stfu! I never liked this wannabe-black sounding white man. Could never understand the hype about him, period! No such thing as blue eyed soul. Just something whitey made up to compete. And his wife is higher than damn kite on any given day. Both of em druggies! All these new artist do is steal and do not want to give credit where credit is due. Yea that includes you to BeYAWNCE!

Anonymous said...

still stealing our music but take a close look at the sell out coons co signing this theft

Anonymous said...

^^^

Yep, co-sign EVERY SINGLE COMMENT MADE ABOVE. Fucking cheap bastards.

HCS said...

Fuck ALL of YA... Robin has always made his own shit and if he does sample anything he gives the other artist credit and cash! He ain't Beyonce. You guys are reaching the songs are not that similar some of the notes are the same but that is were it ends. And more fine ass White boys should marry and impregnate Black women!

Swirlin' Lover

Anonymous said...

^^^HCS shut the f*ck up and stop your aggressive dick riding

Anonymous said...

Bothe Pharrell and TI (dancing like Puff Daddy in a Biggie video) are a party to this "Sue The Gaye Family Estate" bullshit! Let's NOT forget that!

Anonymous said...

http://youtu.be/bYmc6Ra7-Mc

Operation: BeastMode said...

I KNEW this corny Robin Thicke shit sounded very similar to something. .

Anonymous said...

from the 1978 album marvin gaye live at the palladium

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