On This Day in 2015, Marvin Gaye’s Estate Proved That “Blurred Lines” Was Stolen and Scored $7.3 Million

On March 10, 2015, a jury awarded Marvin Gaye’s estate a whopping $7.3 million after it was proven that “Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams was too similar to Gaye’s 1977 hit song “Got To Give It Up”.

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It’s worth noting that more often than not, these types of cases are very hard to prove. Fortunately for Gaye’s estate (made up of his children Marvin the Third, Frankie, and Nona), a jury sided with them and their late father in this case of song-snatching.

How the Marvin Gaye Estate Proved That Robin Thicke Stole This Famous 1977 Tune

Robin Thicke and co-writer (later revealed to be the actual writer) Pharrell Williams weren’t going down without a fight. The two songwriters argued that “Blurred Lines” and “Got To Give Up” only have a few similar elements. Namely, they both feature ambient noise, such as clinking champagne glasses and the sounds of a crowd. They argued that there was nothing similar between the two songs in terms of beat, melody, or otherwise.

To the untrained ear, it seems like Thicke and Williams are right. However, these cases are based on sheet music rather than recordings. A group of audio experts testified that there were far too many similarities between the two songs. A jury sided with Marvin Gaye’s estate and they were subsequently awarded a pretty hefty judgment of $7.3 million. Though, some outlets reported the sum to be closer to $7.4 million.

The verdict sent shockwaves throughout the songwriting industry. Many musicians weren’t happy with the verdict, noting that if similar cases occur, almost any song out there that has previously used music elements could get slapped with a lawsuit.

“I think that the groove is very similar, but you have to remember he [Williams] is a big fan of Marvin Gaye’s so that’s okay,” famed singer Stevie Wonder said of the case at the time. “But the song is not like Marvin Gaye’s. It is not the same.”

Interestingly enough, as a result of having to speak on the case, Robin Thicke admitted that he had very little to do with the writing of the song. Specifically, he said that he had been drinking and doing drugs throughout the process and remembered very little about the production process.

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns

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