Marvin Gaye’s family lawyer had some harsh words for Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke, calling them “bullies” and celebrating the family’s $7.4 million win in damages.
In a column for Billboard, Richard Busch recounted the Gaye family’s court battle over Pharrell and Thicke’s hit song “Blurred Lines” and its similarities to Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” Most of the column is about the specifics of the case, like compositional elements and note-for-note differences in the lead sheet music and recording, but he also takes a big old victory lap and shares the details of the “longest weekend” of his life:
When Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams decided to launch a lawsuit seeking declaratory relief that “Blurred Lines” wasn’t a copyright infringement of Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up,” I didn’t know they’d do this. My opinion is that they believed the Gayes didn’t have resources and the wherewithal to fight. My belief then was they were being bullies. I bet now they regret it.
…On the Friday before the verdict, when the jury had a specific question on damages regarding the calculation on how to award profits, I felt really confident. But by the end of the day, when the jury hadn’t reached verdict, I wondered if we were maybe too excited. It was the longest weekend of my life. I did everything possible to distract myself. I went to the movies. I walked on the beach. I did a Sons of Anarchy marathon on Netflix.
Then, Tuesday finally came. We didn’t start this case. But we made sure to finish it.
He marathoned Sons of Anarchy, won a multimillion-dollar settlement, and called Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams bullies. Richard Busch might be having the best year ever. Keep on living the dream, man.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
