$7.4 Million in "Blurred Lines" Jury Verdict

Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams owe Marvin Gaye’s family $7.4 million for ‘Blurred Lines,’ jury decides

Emily Ratajkowski's classic dance video set to music by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, resulted in a massive settlement in favor of Marvin Gaye's estate, based on a determination that the song was ripped off from his hit "Got to Give It Up."

A Los Angeles jury decided Tuesday that, yes, songwriters Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams ripped off Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up” and awarded Gaye’s family $7.4 million in compensation.

That amounts to about a dollar for every copy the smash pop hit sold. It ultimately raked in $16 million in profits, with Thicke and Williams each earning about $5 million.

The U.S. District Court jury divided the award into an approximately $1.6 million payment from Williams and $1.7 million from Thicke, to compensate the Gaye family for loss of profits. Another $4 million was assessed as damages. Neither the record company nor rapper T.I. — who also performed on the song — owe anything.

Compare:



to:



Yes, they have a similar beat and three chords.  If these guys owe $7.4 million bucks, the music industry owes the estate of Robert Johnson several billion.

Wombat-socho celebrates Miss Palin's impending nuptials with "Rule 5 Sunday: Congratulations, Miss Palin!"