The song of the summer is taking some heat as of late, in the form of lawsuits. Claims from the estate of Marvin Gaye and Bridgeport Music (which owns the rights to some of Funkadelic‘s music) allege that the Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell and T.I. track “Blurred Lines” sounds entirely too much like Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up” and Funkadelic’s “Sexy Ways.” In a preemptive strike, Robin Thicke, Pharrell and Clifford Joseph Harris (aka T.I.) have filed a lawsuit to protect the song against any potential copyright infringement costs.
According to the lawsuit (read the full lawsuit here), the plaintiffs have:
“the utmost respect for and admiration of Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic and their musical legacies,” but must “reluctantly file this action in the face of multiple adverse claims from alleged successors in interest to those artists.”
According to The Hollywood Reporter:
The suit claims the Gaye family is alleging that “Blurred Lines” and Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up” “feel” or “sound” the same, and that the “Gaye defendants are claiming ownership of an entire genre, as opposed to a specific work.”
As for Funkadelic, there’s said to be claimed similarity between Thicke’s hit and Funakedlic’s “Sexy Ways.”
“But there are no similarities between plaintiffs’ composition and those the claimants allege they own, other than commonplace musical elements,” states the lawsuit. “Plaintiffs created a hit and did it without copying anyone else’s composition.
What do you think? Take a listen to all the tracks here, and you give us your opinion.