The singer, Robin Thicke, has just lost a R90 million Rand court case for copying a Marvin Gaye song.
A court has found that Robin Thicke and producer Pharell Williams infringed the copyright of Marvin Gaye’s 1977 song “Got To Give It Up” and awarded damages to Marvin Gaye’s children. The Blurred Lines song with its catchy “I know you want it” line and scantily dressed models dancing around was the biggest hit of 2013 and spent many weeks at the top of the billboard charts around the world.
Songs or melodies are covered by the Copyright Act in the form of “musical work”. A “musical work” can have protection in most cases for the life of the author/owner and a further 50 years from the end of the year in which the author dies.
This is not the first time a music artist/producer has been sued for copying another song. Artists that have been involved in copyright law suits include Avril Lavigne, Coldplay, Justin Bieber and Nicki Minaj.
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