My Publicist Note Book

Pharrell and Robin Thicke Have to Pay the Gaye Estate $7.3 Million For “Blurred Lines” Plagiarism Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were found guilty of plagiarizing their 2013 hit song “Blurred Lines” today. The Associate Press reports that they were guilty in an ongoing copyright infringement lawsuit with Marvin Gaye’s family and must fork over $7.3 million to the Gaye estate. Last week that the song made over $16.6 million, which was split between the artists and their respective record labels. Thicke and Williams both made a little more than $5 million each while Tip earned over $700,000 for his appearance on “Blurred Lines.” The remainder of the profit was split between Interscope, Universal Music Group and Star Trak Entertainment. Gaye Estate felt that the song ripped the iconic singer’s 1977 track “Got to Give It Up.” Reps for Pharrell, Robin and T.I. issued the following statement explaining that the decision is bad for art: ...

Interrogated for allegedly ripping off Marvin Gaye, the singer attempts a rock 'n' roll defense: "I didn't do a single interview last year without being high" "Blurred Lines," the pop hit that quickly became one of the most fascinating and controversial son gs of the young century, has now spawned even more to discuss thanks to the appearance of absolutely bizarre depositions given by the song's singer,  Robin Thicke , and producer   Pharrell Williams . The sworn testimony, revealed for the first time in a Los Angeles federal court on Monday, covers such subjects as authorship, song credit, drug abuse and media promotion, and almost certainly will change perceptions of a hit recording that was dubbed last year's Song of the Summer. When "Blurred Lines" was released in March 2013, the catchy harmony became a cultural phenomenon, but since then, there's been substantial reassessment of what the song is all about. In som...

Marvin Gaye family wins victory in 'Blurred Lines' copyright case. Publishing giant Sony/ATV and  Marvin Gaye 's estate have reached a settlement in the  ongoing lawsuit over Robin Thicke's 2013 smash Blurred Lines. The agreement spares Sony the position of defending their 30-percent market stake and the conflicts that come with it The Gayes had accused EMI of not pursuing a copyright infringement case against Thicke because "Blurred Lines" has similarities to Gaye's "Got to Give It Up." A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday granted Nona Marvisa Gaye and Frankie Christian Gaye's dismissal of their lawsuit against EMI, which is owned by Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Documents say the Gayes and Sony have an agreement and claims against Sony can't be brought again. While the terms of the settlement were not made public, as the case moves forward Sony/ATV will not have to defend giving copyrights to "Blurred Lines" and Gaye...