On 10 March 2015 a jury in the Central District of California found that 'Blurred Lines' infringed the composition of Marvin Gaye's 'Got to Give It Up', awarding Frankie and Nona Gaye $7,378,647.19. Because the Gaye work predates 1978, protection extended only to the sheet music deposit copy and the commercial recording was never played to the jury. The jury found Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams liable, expressly found the infringement was NOT willful, and cleared Clifford 'T.I.' Harris Jr. and the Interscope and UMG parties. Judge John Kronstadt remitted the award to $5,314,350.34 and imposed a 50% running royalty on future songwriter and publishing revenue. In Williams v. Gaye, 885 F.3d 1150 (9th Cir. 2018), the court affirmed liability against Thicke and Williams and reversed the trial judge's later ruling against Harris and the labels, restoring the jury's verdict clearing them. The majority wrote that the decision 'does not grant license to copyright a musical style or groove'. Final judgment in December 2018 came to roughly $5 million.
— The song was 'Blurred Lines'. The Gaye work was 'Got to Give It Up'.
— The jury awarded about $7.4 million, cut by the trial judge to roughly $5.3 million plus half of all future songwriting revenue.
— In a deposition made public beforehand he said he had been high on Vicodin and alcohol in the studio and had taken credit for a song he did not write. The jury found him liable anyway.
— His co-writer on the record was Pharrell Williams.
— Initials: R.T.
ALLEGEDLY* edition No. 91. Three strikes to name Robin Thicke, with a free clue unlocked after every miss.
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