‘Blurred Lines’ copyright case ends with final judgment

The five-year legal battle over copyrights for parts of the hit song "Blurred Lines" finally ended with a federal judge ordering Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke to pay the Marvin Gaye family nearly $5 million in damages, plus half the future royalties from the song.

"I am very happy for the Gaye Family," Said the Gaye's attorney Richard S. Busch of King and Ballow in an email Thursday. "It has been a long and winding road to victory, but the ultimate result is justified and incredibly satisfying."

After "Blurred Lines" was released in 2013 and became the best-selling single in the world, Thicke and Williams were accused by the Gaye family of copying Marvin Gaye's 1977 original song, "Got to Give it Up."

In 2015, after a seven-day trial and two days of deliberation, a jury agreed with the Gayes and awarded them $7.4 million in damages.

Although U.S. District Court Judge John A. Kronstadt's reduced the damages amount to $5.3 million, Thicke and Williams, represented by Howard E. King of King Holmes Paterno & Berliner LLP, appealed, arguing the court erred in not granting their motion for summary judgment to dismiss. Pharrell Williams et al., v. Bridgeport Music Inc et al., 13-CV06004 (C.D. Cal., filed Aug. 15, 2013).

On remand, Kronstadt issued his final amended judgment on Dec. 6, ordering Thicke, Williams, and More Water From Nazareth Publishing Inc. jointly to pay $2,848,846.50 in actual damages to the Gaye family.

In addition, Kronstadt ordered Thicke to pay $1,768,191.88 and Williams and his publishing company to pay $357,630.96 to the Gayes in separate awards of profits attributable to infringement.

Finally, the Gaye family will also be entitled to prejudgment interest and 50 percent of all royalties from the song going forward.

After going back and forth from the Central District court to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a three-judge panel upheld Kronstadt in March.

Busch said after the 9th Circuit decision Williams and Thicke "brought out all the guns they could," but he never lost faith the ruling would stick.