Hollywood, CA — If you haven’t heard by now, both Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams have been ordered to pay $7 million to Marvin Gaye’s family for copyright infringement for a song they wrote and produced called “Blurred Lines” that sounds a lot like Marvin Gaye’s tune “Got to Give it Up”. But many are asking if they really have to pay that much money to the late singer’s family, and the answer is… yes!
Having released the biggest song of 2013, earning over $16.5 million in revenue, they absolutely have to pay the $7 million (actually $7.3 million to be exact) in damages to the Marvin Gaye Estate. And they can afford to do it!
But there may be a way out
Attorney Howard King, Thicke and Williams’ lawyer, are already planning to file an appeal to the court’s decision. He comments, “We owe it to song writers around the world to make sure this verdict doesn’t stand. My clients know that they wrote the song ‘Blurred Lines’ from their hearts and souls and no other source. We are going to exercise every post trial remedy we have to make sure this verdict does not stand. We look at it as being in the seventh inning of a game that could go into extra innings.”
But experts say their chance of winning is slim to none because the unanimous court decision court was made by a federal jury. So, it looks like the two need to go ahead and get out their checkbooks.
The Gaye family is already celebrating
“Right now, I feel free,” Nona Gaye said after the judgment was read. “Free from… Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke’s chains and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told.”
She was joined in the court room with her two brothers, Frankie and Marvin Gaye III, and they all were very happy about the judgement.
Too bad, we won’t get to see their faces when they actually get those deposits in their bank accounts – but according to experts, that could take a few months or even years!
