Blurred Lines’ costly verdict

Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams have been ordered to pay almost $5 million as their longrunning Blurred Lines copyright case comes to a close. In 2013, Marvin Gaye’s heirs began legal action over the hit, which they claimed infringed the copyright of their late father’s 1977 song Got to Give it Up, and they were awarded $7.4 million in a 2015 trial, but the figure was reduced to $5.3 million. (All figures in U.S. dollars.) The legal teams for Thicke and Williams launched various challenges against the verdict over the years, but on Monday the case was settled once and for all. Going forward, the Gaye family is entitled to a running royalty of half the Blurred Lines songwriter and publishing revenue.