Marvin Gaye's family wants T.I. included in trial verdict
Marvin Gaye's relatives have filed new legal paperwork asking a judge to hold rapper T.I. accountable for copyright infringement in the Blurred Lines case.
Earlier this month (Mar15), a jury ruled that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams had copied elements of Gaye's track Got to Give It Up for their 2013 chart hit and they were ordered to pay $7.3 million.
The jury had earlier decided that the pair's collaborator, rapper
T.I., was not accountable because his verse in Blurred Lines had
been added into the track after Thicke and Williams had written and
recorded the song.
However, the Gaye family's lawyer, Richard Busch, filed a motion on
Tuesday (17Mar15) asking a judge to amend the jury verdict to
include T.I., real name Clifford Harris, Jr., as well as Interscope
Records and Universal Music, claiming they are all liable for
copyright infringement.
The motion, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, reads, "As a matter
of law, all members of the distribution chain are liable for
copyright infringement, including co-writer of the song Blurred
Lines, Clifford Harris, Jr. and the Interscope Parties...
accordingly, the Gayes' request that the Court amend the jury's
verdict to impose liability... on Clifford Harris, Jr. and the
Interscope Parties, for their infringement of the musical
composition Got to Give it Up."
Thicke and Williams plan to contest the ruling, while Gaye's heirs
are hoping to halt future sales of Blurred Lines until a new
royalty payment scheme has been negotiated.