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Gayes hit back in ‘Blurred Lines’ dispute with a mash-up
By Chris Cooke | Published on Tuesday 9 September 2014
The family of Marvin Gaye have submitted their summary judgement papers in the ongoing dispute between them and Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams and all the corporate misogynists involved in the manufacture, marketing and distribution of the pop morality vacuum that was ‘Blurred Lines’.
As previously reported, the Gaye family allege that lyrical crimes aside, ‘Blurred Lines’ also ripped off their famous father Marvin, and in particular his track ‘Got To Give It Up’. The matter went legal last year, with legal reps for Williams filing a motion for summary judgement in his favour in July just gone, claiming that the family jumped on comments made by Thicke about him being influenced by Gaye, and that “the defendants smelled money and rushed to make their infringement demand”.
It’s true that the Gaye family’s own summary judgement motion, submitted this week, does rely to an extent on comments made by both Thicke and Williams about them being heavily influenced by Marvin. Though the legal papers make much of the fact that it was Thicke and Williams who went legal first in this dispute, after hearing the Gayes had alleged ‘Blurred Lines’ borrowed heavily from ‘Got To Give It Up’.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Gayes’ submission says: “Not only was it, therefore, Thicke and Williams who actually ‘smelled money’, but it was they who then played the role of bully by suing Marvin Gaye’s children when the Gaye children had the temerity to question why their father was not credited, or why ‘Got To Give it Up’ was not licensed, betting that the Gaye children would not have the will or resources to fight this battle. Thicke and Williams bet wrong, and they will now have to face the consequences of their misjudgment and their blatant copyright infringement”.
The Gaye family have also provided a mash-up to the judge hearing the case (hearing it quite literally in this regard). On the tape, according to the Gayes’ legal reps, the judge will hear the vocals of ‘Blurred Lines’ played over the instrumental of ‘Got To Give It Up’ and vice versa. “This material sounds like a perfect, natural match because it blends sonically” says the memo attached to the submitted mash-up.
A decision on the summary judgement applications should be made this Autumn. If the case proceeds to a full court hearing, that is scheduled to begin next February.
