It has been reported that the jury has ruled in favor of the Gaye family and that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams owe them 7.3 million dollars and writing credits to Marvin Gaye. While I'd normally be happy to see the family of a great performer sticking it to some pop singers, I actually disagree with the judgment on this one. From what I've read, neither side really made a great case or paid much attention to copyright law. As someone who has studied the subject, I'll tell you that, in the world of music, copyright infringement comes down to two factors: melody and lyrics. While there are a lot of similarities between the two songs, the melody and the lyrics are not two of them. I think an under-informed jury, the defendants saying things they shouldn't have, and all-around poor lawyering contributed to this decision. I couldn't care less about some millionaires parting with a fraction of their wealth, but this could lead to some more serious implications within the music industry, which is what worries me.

If you'd like a little more detail on this case and/or copyright infringement in music, I wrote a nifty little article about it that explains things pretty concisely at this link:

http://theampedblog.com/2015/03/blurred-line-copyright-infringement/

Know any songs that have gotten busted for copying another? Do you agree with the decision? Leave your thoughts in the comments!