Marvin Gaye wins in Seattle federal court
A mural of musician Marvin Gaye in Washington, D.C.
Flickr Photo/Johnny Silvercloud (CC BY-SA 2.0) https://flic.kr/p/AVYE3d
The federal appeals court in Seattle has sided with Marvin Gaye, the late Motown legend.
The 9th circuit court of appeals upheld a copyright infringement verdict against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams over their 2013 hit, "Blurred Lines:"
It sounds a lot like Marvin Gaye's song, "Got to Give it Up" from 1977:
The decision was split in the federal court in Seattle.
One of the dissenting judges wrote that the ruling sets a dangerous precedent, because the Gaye estate has managed to copyright a musical style.
But the attorney for the Gaye family says the ruling encourages writers to create original work rather than take advantage of the success of others.
