‘Blurred Lines’ Robin Thicke Pharrell Williams Trial Verdict: Marvin Gaye Family Paid $7.4M for Damages

Robin Thicke and Pharell Williams may sing about blurred lines, but clearly, the law drew a clear line in terms of damages, to the tune of $7.4 million.

According to Mashable, the federal jury ruled on Tuesday that Thicke and Williams were guilty of plagiarism as they lifted their phenomenal hit, "Blurred Lines" from Marvin Gaye's 1977 hit "Got to Give It Up" but that they didn't necessarily do it on purpose. The jury voted "no" on the question of "willful infringement," but decided that they were not innocent either.

Thicke and Williams will have to pay the posted amount, broken down to the following: $4 million in damages, $1.6 million in profits from Williams, and $1.7 million from Thicke. The entire amount will be divided between Gaye's children, Nona, Frankie, and Marvin III, with possibility of an appeal.

In a report by Telegraph UK, Nona Gaye was said to have burst into tears following the verdict, saying, "Right now I feel free. Free from Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke's chains and what they tried to keep on us and the lies that were told."

A joint statement from Thicke and Williams expressed their disappointment with the verdict, stating, "While we respect the judicial process we are extremely disappointed in the ruling made today, which sets a horrible precedent for music and creativity going forward. Pharrell created Blurred Lines from his heart, mind and soul and the song was not taken from anyone or anywhere else. We are reviewing the decision, considering our options and you will hear more from us soon about this matter."

The song, despite its Grammy nominations, has been making a mess since its initial release. The Washington Post chronicled the saga, which began in August 2013 when Thicke, Williams, and TI filed a preemptive suit that claimed no infringement. Thicke then claimed in his deposition to be "high on Vicodin and alcohol" during the writing process when Gaye's family sued them, and also admitted to being envious of Williams, who would get all the glory to the song, so all his claims of helping in the writing the song were lies.

He said about the hit single, "After making six albums that I wrote and produced myself, the biggest hit of my career was written by somebody else. And I was jealous and wanted some of the credit."

Lines may be blurred in this case, but do you think it's right that Thicke and Williams should pay for costs when the jury said they didn't "willfully" infringe Gaye's song?