The lawsuit between the family of iconic soul singer Marvin Gaye and current stars Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams has been highly publicized, criticized and commented upon as it played out. The verdict resulted in Thicke and Williams being ordered to pay $7.4 million due to infringement on Gaye’s hit “Got to Give It Up” with the controversial track, “Blurred Lines.”
Now Gaye’s children, Nona, Frankie and Marving Gaye III have released a letter explaining the importance of the case to the family and even speculating how they believe their father would have felt about the issue.
“If he were alive today we feel he would embrace the technology available to artists and the diverse music choices and spaces available to fans who can steam a song at a moment’s notice. But we also know he would be vigilant about safeguarding the artist’s rights. He also gave credit where credit is due.”
The intense and broad media coverage of the case also created “misconceptions” that the family wished to clear up, insisting it wasn’t about money and that everything would have been fine had Thicke and Williams taken the proper steps first.
“Like most artists they could have licensed and secured the song for appropriate usage; a simple procedure usually arranged in advance of the song’s release. This did not happen. We would have welcomed a conversation with them before the release of their work. This also did not happen.”
Meanwhile, the attorney for Thicke and Williams’ made it very clear after the verdict that they plan on appealing the ruling. “We are extremely disappointed in the ruling made today, which sets a horrible precedent for music and creativity going forward […] We are reviewing their decision, considering our options and you will hear more from us soon about this matter.”
Read the full letter here.
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