The 'Happy' hitmaker says of the 'Blurred Lines' copyright infringement case, 'This is about protecting the intellectual rights of people who have ideas.'
- Mar 19, 2015
AceShowbiz - Pharrell Williams talks for the first time about the court ruling that favored Marvin Gaye's family in the "Blurred Lines" copyright infringement case. "The verdict handicaps any creator out there who is making something that might be inspired by something else," he told The Financial Times.
"This applies to fashion, music, design ... anything. 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. This is about protecting the intellectual rights of people who have ideas."
"Everything that's around you in a room was inspired by something or someone," he added. "If you kill that, there's no creativity."
Williams recorded "Blurred Lines" with Robin Thicke and T.I.. They were accused of ripping off Marvin Gaye's 1977 song "Got to Give It Up" and ordered to pay the Gaye family $7.3 million after losing in the court battle.
"If [Gaye] were alive today, we feel he would embrace the technology available to artists and the diverse music choices and spaces accessible to fans who can stream a song at a moment's notice," the family wrote in an open letter. "But we also know he would be vigilant about safeguarding the artist's rights. He also gave credit where credit is due."
They are seeking an injunction to halt "Blurred Lines" sales until both sides can agree on the distribution of future revenue. They also have filed a motion to "correct" the jury's initial verdict which let T.I. and record labels off the hook.
