Blurred Lines comments
Rodgers comments on Williams and Thicke’s copyright infringement in the Blurred Lines court case, saying he believes the song’s composition is not at all like Gaye’s Got to Give it Up.
Compositionally, purely compositionally, I don’t think they should have lost that case. Got to Give it Up is clearly a blues structure, Blurred Lines isn’t at all. If we lose our freedom to be inspired, we’re going to look up one day and the entertainment industry as we know it will be frozen in litigation.
Copied Blurred Lines: $7.3m damages
The jury awards $7.3 million to Gaye’s family after deciding Williams and Thicke copied Blurred Lines from Gaye’s 1977 hit Got to Give It Up. Nona Gaye wept as the verdict was being read and was hugged by her attorney, Richard Busch, who had said Williams and Thicke were liars who went beyond trying to emulate the sound of Gaye’s late-1970s music and copied the song outright. The song has earned more than $5 million apiece for Thicke and Williams.
Wins Grammy
Gaye wins the Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male and Best R&B Instrumental Performance for Sexual Healing.