The estate of late soul icon Marvin Gaye has hit back at R&B star Robin Thicke in the latest twist to the legal saga surrounding the singer's smash-hit "Blurred Lines."
Gaye's estate has filed a counter-claim to a pre-emptive suit lodged by Thicke and Pharrell Williams in August which had asked a California court to rule that the chart-topping hit had not lifted melodies from Gaye's 1977 classic "Got to Give it Up."
But Gaye's family argue in court papers filed in Los Angeles that Thicke's hit amounts to "blatant copying of a constellation of distinctive and significant compositional elements of Marvin Gaye's classic #1 song."
The family of the singer also pointed to interviews given by Thicke to GQ magazine and Billboard in which he cites "Got to Give It Up" as the key inspiration for the song.
"Pharrell and I were in the studio and I told him that one of my favorite songs of all time was Marvin Gaye's 'Got to Give It Up'," Thick was quoted as saying by GQ earlier this year.
"I was like 'Damn, we should make something like that, something with that groove.' Then he started playing a little something and we literally wrote the song in about a half hour and recorded it," Thicke added.
The court filing by Gaye's family, quoted an interview given by Thicke since the legal furore unfolded in which he appears to flatly contradict his earlier comments.
Asked directly by the TMZ entertainment news website if he had been thinking of Marvin Gaye when "Blurred Lines" was composed, he replied: "No."
In addition, the Gaye estate's court case cites several prominent music critics who have all remarked about the song's similarity to "Got to Give It Up."
An expert report commissioned by a musicologist also noted "eight substantially similar compositional features."
The countersuit also challenges Thicke beyond "Blurred Lines," claiming that his song "Love After War" had drawn heavily on Gaye's "After the Dance."
Thicke, Williams and T.I. had filed a pre-emptive strike in August seeking to quash any potential claims by Gaye's estate.
"There are no similarities between plaintiffs' composition and those the claimants allege they own, other than commonplace musical elements," papers filed by Thicke's attorneys said.
"Plaintiffs created a hit and did it without copying anyone else's composition.
"Being reminiscent of a 'sound' is not copyright infringement. The intent in producing 'Blurred Lines' was to evoke an era," it added.
"The reality is that the songs themselves are starkly different."
AFP
Thu Oct 31 2013
Bursa Malaysia ditutup tinggi susulan sokongan dana asing, institusi tempatan
Pada 5 petang, FTSE Bursa Malaysia KLCI (FBM KLCI) meningkat 7.50 mata untuk ditutup kepada 1,582.66 daripada paras penutup 1,575.16 pada Jumaat.
MOM bakal hantar resolusi rayu kerajaan teruskan penganjuran Sukan SEA 2027
MOM akan menghantar resolusi kepada Kementerian Belia dan Sukan untuk merayu agar Malaysia kekal menjadi penganjur Sukan SEA 2027.
AWANI Borneo [29/04/2024] – Perkukuh sektor perhutanan | Calon ADUN Tanjung Batu | Piala Borneo bakal kembali
Laporan berita padat dan ringkas dari Borneo bersama Nickyson Nyambar
#AWANIBorneo 29 April 2024
Sarawak perkukuh kerjasama dengan Sweden, sektor perhutanan tumpuan utama
Calon ADUN Tanjung Batu, Bung Moktar kekal dengan pendirian, Andi reda tapi tunggu bubar dulu
Fazzrudin sambut baik usaha tubuhkan Gagasan Bola Sepak Borneo
#AWANInews
#AWANIBorneo 29 April 2024
Sarawak perkukuh kerjasama dengan Sweden, sektor perhutanan tumpuan utama
Calon ADUN Tanjung Batu, Bung Moktar kekal dengan pendirian, Andi reda tapi tunggu bubar dulu
Fazzrudin sambut baik usaha tubuhkan Gagasan Bola Sepak Borneo
#AWANInews
Vokalis Dewa 19, Virzha kahwin wanita Arab
Salah seorang vokalis Dewa 19, Virzha mengakhiri zaman bujang pada usia 33 tahun.
Blok Negara Islam Sedang ‘Stress’? Langsung Dialog 4 Menteri Luar
Situasi meruncing di Gaza, konflik Iran-Israel dan ditambah pula persaingan kuat dua kuasa, Amerika Syarikat dan China dilihat terus membayangi percaturan geopolitik dan geoekonomi negara-negara Islam di Asia Barat. Menteri Luar Turkiye dan Arab Saudi antara yang tampil duduk sepentas
membincangkan apa lagi yang bakal jadi nanti.
#SpecialMeeting24
membincangkan apa lagi yang bakal jadi nanti.
#SpecialMeeting24
Krisis iklim: Kanak-kanak antara paling terjejas - UNICEF
Apabila bencana alam berlaku, kanak-kanak lebih terdedah dan berpotensi mengalami kesan yang berpanjangan.
Raja Permaisuri Agong terima menghadap Pesuruhjaya Tinggi British ke Malaysia
Raja Permaisuri Agong Raja Zarith Sofiah hari ini berkenan menerima menghadap Pesuruhjaya Tinggi British ke Malaysia Ailsa Terry di Istana Negara.
Masyarakat Cina bersama meriahkan rumah terbuka UMNO Sandakan
Masyarakat Cina di sekitar Sandakan bwersama memeriahkan dan menikmati juadah di rumah terbuka Aidilfitri anjujran UMNO Sandakan.
Gagasan Bola Sepak Borneo bantu tingfkatkan kualiti pemain Sarawak
Presiden Kuching FA Fazzrudin Abdul Rahman menyambut baik uaha menubuhkan Gagasan Bola Sepak Borneo yang diyakini mampu menggilap kualiti bola sepak di pulau itu.
Terserah Bung Moktar, yang penting khidmat untuk rakyat dulu - Andi
ADUN Tanjung Batu, Datuk Andi Muhamad Suryady Bandy menyerahkan kepada Datuk Seri Bung Moktar untuk memastikan kemenangan UMN O dalan PRN 17 namun pada masa sama berharap perkara mengenai calon dibincang selepas DUN Sabah dibubar.