The U.S. District Court jury in Los Angeles sided with Gaye's
estate, finding that parts of his 1977 hit "Got to Give it Up"
were lifted by Thicke and Williams for their 2013 R&B
chart-topper.
The jury awarded Gaye's heirs $4 million in actual damages plus
$3.4 million in profits that Thicke and Williams were found to
have derived from their copyright infringement.
Several other parties sued by Gaye's estate, the rapper T.I. and
various music companies, were cleared of infringement.
Gaye's daughter, Nona Gaye, hugged her attorney and wept as the
court clerk read the verdict capping a weeklong trial that
explored the boundaries between artistic inspiration and theft.
"Right now I feel free, free from, honestly, from Pharrell
Williams and Robin Thicke's chains and what they tried to keep
on us, and the lies that they told," she said.
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Neither Thicke nor Williams was present for the verdict.
Their lawyer, Howard King, said they were keeping their options
open. "It's a lot of money. It's not going to bankrupt my
clients. It's a disappointing number," he said.
The attorney for Gaye's heirs, Richard Busch, said they would
seek an injunction to halt further distribution of "Blurred
Lines."
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The suit cited magazine interviews given by Thicke in which he
admitted drawing on "Got to Give it Up" when producing and recording
"Blurred Lines."
Thicke said later in sworn statements he was high on painkillers and
alcohol when "Blurred Lines" became a hit and that he exaggerated
his contribution to writing the song.
Thicke sang the raunchy, percussive dance tune, the biggest U.S. pop
song of the summer of 2013, at that year's MTV Video Music Awards in
a provocative performance featuring pop singer Miley Cyrus.
Williams acknowledged in court he had been a fan of Gaye's music
since childhood, but said "Blurred Lines" and "Got to Give it Up"
were similar in genre only.
"The last thing you want to do as a creator is take something of
someone else's when you love him," Williams testified. Gaye, whose
hits included "I Heard it Through the Grapevine," was fatally shot
by his father in 1984 at age 44.
(Reporting by Michael Fleeman; Writing by Steve Gorman; Editing by
Cynthia Johnston and Peter Cooney)
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