Marvin Gaye's family shared an open letter yesterday, March 18, regarding the recent verdict in the "Blurred Lines" lawsuit. A jury ruled that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams owed the family $7.4 million because the pair's hit infringed on Gaye's 1977 track "Got to Give It Up." The family believes that if Gaye were alive today, he would embrace all the technological advances in music.
"But we also know he would be vigilant about safeguarding the artist's rights. He also gave credit where credit is due," they wrote (via Rolling Stone).
Gaye's family also said that if Thicke and Williams would have asked them before releasing the single, the lawsuit would have been avoided. However, the similarities were not ruled a coincidence. The family's attorney wants sales of the single to stop until proper songwriting credit is given, and while they have noted hearing similarities between Pharrell's "Happy" and Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar," they are not seeking legal action.
The letter was written to set straight a few misconceptions and give the public some backstory to "Got to Give It Up."
"It has been nearly 38 years since its initial release: tastes change, trends evolve, but we should all be able to agree that it's a testament to the enduring power of 'Got to Give It Up' that we have arrived at this juncture with Mr. Thicke and Mr. Williams, at all," the family wrote. "The fact that they have openly acknowledged their respect and admiration for the song is public knowledge, and further proof of its resonance with an entirely new generation of music fans."
"Got to Give It Up" was one of the singer's "most cherished hits." The family explained that Thicke and Williams actually filed a pre-emptive suit against them that brought the issue to court. And the jury did not listen the actual song. The copyright infringement was based on musical composition at trial, which the family said called proof that "further amplifies the soundness of the verdict."
Read the entire letter over at Rolling Stone.
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