A federal jury in Los Angeles on Tuesday,  March 10 ruled that the pop phenomenon “Blurred Lines” had crossed the line into plagiarism and copied elements of Marvin Gaye’s 1977 song “Got to Give It Up” without permission. The jury found that musicians Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, who share a songwriting credit on the track, had committed copyright infringement.  The jury awarded more than $7.3 million to Gaye’s family.

“Blurred Lines” took the music industry by storm when it was released in July 2013, remaining in the No. 1 slot for the rest of the year. Yet since the lawsuit was filed in 2013, the case has prompted debate in music and copyright circles about the difference between plagiarism and tribute, as well as what impact the verdict could have on how musicians create work in the future.

“Morally, is it really worth seven millions dollars?” said senior Bardo Novotny as he recalled his primary reaction to the verdict.

When asked how these situations could possibly be avoided in the future, Novotny said, “Just don’t make it obvious.”

It is clear that this verdict will make people who want to want to evoke the past in their music think twice and perhaps refrain from doing so.

Source: nytimes.com