“Blurred Lines” $7.3 Million Dollar Award one of Largest Damages Awards in a Music Copyright Case

A federal jury in Los Angeles has found that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams committed copyright infringement by copying elements of Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give it Up” in their 2013 hit “Blurred Lines. The jury awarded Nona and Frankie Gaye, two of Marvin Gaye’s children, $4 million in damages plus approximately $3.3 million of the profits earned by Thicke and Williams. According to court records, “Blurred Lines” has earned profits in an excess of $16 million dollars. Under the Copyright Act, a plaintiff can seek its actual damages and the infringer’s profits that are attributable to the infringement. The damages award is believed to be one of the largest damages awards in a music copyright case.