The late singer's son says that Thicke's lawsuit causes him and his family 'a lot of duress', in addition to taking away his time to promote his own music project.
- Aug 23, 2013
AceShowbiz - Last week, Robin Thicke made headline when preemptively suing Marvin Gaye's family in order to protect his Pharrell Williams and T.I.-assisted hit single, "Blurred Lines". Now, Gaye's son has reacted to the news and hinted at the possibility of responding with legal action of his own.
Marvin Gaye III, the son of the late singer Gaye, appeared with his wife and a family spokesperson in an interview with TMZ. "We're all fans of Robin Thicke's, as well as he's a fan of my father's," Gaye told the site.
"[But] there's a way to do business and a way not to do business," he continued. "We're not happy with the way he went about doing the business, let alone suing us over something where he clearly got his inspiration from at the least. That's caused my family a lot of due duress, and myself also."
In the interview Gaye also said the legal matter had taken away time for him to promote his own music project, but he felt the need to step up and defend the legacy of his father.
"If you listen to the music, I'm sure anyone can see the similarities between what my father does and what Robin Thicke has been trying to do," he insisted. "What would he [Thicke] want to be protected from if he didn't do anything?"
Of whether his family will sue Thicke, Gaye said, "My counsel is right now in the process of taking care of business... I'm here to uphold my father's legacy."
Thicke, Williams and T.I.'s are battling claims that suggest their mega summer hit has too many similarities to Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" and Funkadelic's "Sexy Ways". "Plaintiffs, who have the utmost respect for and admiration of Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic and their musical legacies, reluctantly file this action in the face of multiple adverse claims from alleged successors in interest to those artists," an excerpt from the suit reads.
According to the court papers, Gaye's family has threatened to sue Thicke and the gang unless there's a financial settlement.
