Consequences of Blurred Lines The 7 4-million-dollar settlement in the Blurred Lines case was one of the largest of its kind but that was not the most important issue to many people in the music industry The larger issue was what might happen as a consequence of the ruling against Thicke and Williams Some critics of the verdict argued that most popular songs rely on borrowed sounds and elements from other songs They pointed out that sometimes innovation depends on creative copying They expressed concern that the verdict might limit creativity in music by preventing new songs from referencing older classics As Williams commented The verdict handicaps any creator out there who is making something that might be inspired by something else 3 occurs when people make unauthorized use of material protected by copyright In turn Thicke and Williams sued Gaye’s heirs claiming their song was different from Got to Give It Up A US district court heard the case Jurors were instructed to compare the songs only on the basis of their sheet music versions The jury determined Blurred Lines infringed on the copyright to Gaye’s music but that Thicke and Williams had not willfully or intentionally copied Gaye’s song The jury awarded Gaye’s children nearly 7 4 million 2 Legal experts and many musicians felt the verdict confused inspiration for infringement They argued that although elements of a musical composition are protected by copyright a general style a groove as Thicke put it is not 6
Marvin Gaye’s family stood by their belief that Blurred Lines infringed on the late singer’s copyrighted work The case reveals that US copyright laws are extremely complex Some people feel the laws are necessary to protect content ownership and promote the progress of human knowledge Other people feel the laws hinder creativity rather than encourage it 7
The Purpose of Copyrights As established in Article I Section 8 of the US Constitution copyright law protects creative efforts in order to encourage the growth of human knowledge Copyrights give the creators of intellectual and artistic works exclusive rights for a limited time that allow them to control how their works are used George Washington signed the first US copyright law in 1790 Over the years the law has been revised several times The last major revision of copyright law took place in 1976 with several smaller revisions since then The changes have broadened the scope of copyright changed the duration of copyright protection and addressed new technologies that complicated the existing copyright laws All forms of original creative expression are eligible for copyright protection as long as they can be written on paper recorded painted sculpted put into a computer or created in some other permanent format This includes literary works musical works dramatic works pantomimes and choreographic If you can see it read it watch it or hear it with or without the use of a computer projector or other machine the work is likely eligible for copyright protection 4 Kenneth Crews copyright scholar works pictorial graphic and sculptural works motion pictures and other audiovisual works sound recordings and architectural works US copyright law dates back to 1790 when George Washington signed the first such law into effect 8
