By Philip Cosores
It’s easy to think that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams don’t have much of a case in the claim by the family of Marvin Gaye that “Blurred Lines” is in fact a ripoff of Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up,” particularly after Thicke’s wild deposition .
And, it seems that the courts agree that at least there is cause to the claim, as a California judge has ruled that the Gaye family has shown sufficiently that “Blurred Lines” might be substantially similar to “Got to Give It Up” (via Billboard). This is not a verdict, but simply a declaration by the judge that there is a case here, and that it should proceed.
The judge’s decision points to “genuine issues of material fact existing as to the substantial similarity of signature phrases, hooks, bass lines, keyboard chords, harmonic structures and vocal melodies of the two songs.
