ARTICLE · 29 JULY 2016

Blurred Lines

Goldman Sloan Nash & Haber LLP

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A recent U.S. decision relating to the song Blurred Lines has attracted significant publicity but raises some concerns.

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A recent U.S. decision relating to the song Blurred Lines has attracted significant publicity but raises some concerns.

The Facts

Blurred Lines is a musical composition written and performed by Robin Thicke, Clifford Harris, Jr. and Pharrell Williams (the "Thicke Parties") that was released in 2013. The song was an immense commercial success and on a world-wide basis became number 1 in at least twenty-five countries.

The authors publically said that the song had been inspired by the Marvin Gaye song Got to Give it Up. The song became the subject matter of a legal dispute between the family of Marvin Gaye and the Thicke Parties and others concerning whether the song infringed the copyright subsisting in Got to Give it Up.

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