The highly-anticipated “Blurred Lines” copyright trial got underway Tuesday in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom, and the proceedings lived up to expectations.
Superstar musicians Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were present at the proceedings that will decide whether their Grammy-nominated song ripped off R&B legend Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit, “Got to Give It Up.”
“I’m not drunk on vodka or high on cocaine or Vicodin,” said attorney Howard King. He is representing Thicke, Williams and Clifford Harris Jr. (professionally known as rapper T.I.) in the copyright infringement lawsuit filed against them by Gaye’s children Nona, Frankie and Marvin III who allege “Blurred Lines,” released in 2013, directly infringes upon Marvin Gaye’s song.
King’s unusual remarks were in response to Gaye family attorney Richard Busch’s earlier statements to the jury regarding Thicke’s alleged claims that he was high on Vicodin and drunk on vodka during his interviews when he professed his love of and inspiration from Gaye.
While the Gaye children and the late singer’s ex-wife Jan, who contributed vocals to “Got to Give It Up,” were all present in court Tuesday, T.I. was not. Although Williams started off the day looking serious and somber, he seemed to lighten up and was often spotted smiling and exchanging glances with Thicke.
In his opening statements, attorney Busch warned the jury that Williams and Thicke are influential “well known stars,” who, when they take the stand to testify, “Will wink at you and they’ll be charming. But keep one thing in mind. They are professional performers.”
While Busch contended that revenue earned from “Blurred Lines” is approximately $40 million, King said the song has generated nothing close to that amount and had actually languished for months, claiming the label had not invested in promoting it and that it was only when the videos were made (one is unrated due to its nudity) that they exploded on the Internet causing the song to chart overseas. Only then, said King, did the label put approximately $3 million into marketing and promoting the song. King also said, using Motown as one of his examples of a vast genre, that “no one owns a genre or a groove.”
As the video to “Blurred Lines” was played in court, Williams and Thicke could be seen grooving along to the tune while seated in their chairs while Gaye’s children watched the video without expression. Jan Gaye seemed to concertedly look away from the footage with a grim expression spread across her face.
At one point, Busch played an instrumental excerpt from “Blurred Lines” with Gaye’s vocals on top to try and prove the similarity of the songs. Thicke just shook his head in disgust and quietly muttered, “It doesn’t work.” King pointed out that you could mash up almost any song and force it to work.
Ultimately, Busch told the jury, “The evidence will show ‘Got to Give It Up’ was used as a blueprint for ‘Blurred Lines.'” He said the song’s similarities are “not random” and that they were “deliberately selected.” However, King said, “They didn’t copy Marvin Gaye. They created the song as they have for the other hundreds of songs they’ve written,” adding that neither had been previously sued for copyright infringement.
Another issue in the case involves Thicke and his former wife, Paula Patton, with whom he co-wrote the single “Love After War,” released in 2011, which, the Gayes contend, infringes upon Marvin Gaye’s 1976 song “After the Dance.”
Worth noting is that the Gayes own Marvin Gaye’s sheet music compositions, but not the sound recordings. King says the Gayes hired a musicologist, who was paid $200,000 who did not even consult the sheet music.
As for the “Blurred Lines” songwriting credits, Williams owns 65 percent, Thicke has 22 percent and T.I. owns the remaining 13 percent.
The trial continues Wednesday at 8:30 am with Jan Gaye and Thicke scheduled to testify. It is expected to last approximately eight days.
The case could potentially be worth millions of dollars in damages for the Gaye family.
Hollywood's Most Outrageous Lawsuits (Photos)
Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.
Lindsay Lohan filed suit against Fox News and Sean Hannity on Feb. 2, 2015, after a news correspondent accused Lohan's mom of snorting cocaine with her troubled daughter. It didn't take long for Fox to fire back. “We will defend this case to the fullest,” the network told TheWrap the next day.
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A former nanny for Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon filed a lawsuit on Jan. 28, 2015, alleging she was fired after showing the couple's kids too much affection and did not receive overtime pay despite working 100 hours per week.
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Legendary funk artist Sly Stone won $5 million on Jan. 27, 2015, after suing his former manager and entertainment attorney for misappropriating royalties owed him for more than 20 years.
Former “Real Housewives of Orange County” executive producers Patrick Moses and Kevin Kaufman filed a suit against Bravo in Nov. 2014, claiming they were deceitfully ousted from the show and bilked out of millions of dollars after helping to create the show and the franchise.
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Jessie Nizewitz, a contestant on VH1’s “Dating Naked,” filed suit in New York in Aug. 2014, seeking $10 million in damages for emotional distress, humiliation and embarrassment after the show allegedly failed to properly blur her genitals.
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Octavia Spencer was awarded $940,000 in Dec. 2014 after claiming a weight loss company, Sensa Products Inc., wrongfully fired her from an endorsement deal and still owed her money.
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Former Tinder executive Whitney Wolfe filed a sexual harassment lawsuit against her former company June 2014, alleging she was repeatedly called a "whore" by CMO Justin Mateen and was stripped of her co-founder title simply for being a woman.
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Former TMZ producer Jarrett Gaeta slapped his former employer with a lawsuit in June 2014, claiming he was wrongly terminated. Gaeta was let go after a subordinate accused him of "racist behavior," including defending blackface and sending pictures of watermelons to African-American employees.
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CNN America was sued in Aug. 2014 by a pair of plaintiffs who claim that correspondent Arwa Damon bit one of them and threatened both during a drunken altercation at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.
"Boardwalk Empire" actress Paz de la Huerta sued Lionsgate in Aug. 2014 claiming she was run over by an ambulance while filming "Nurse 3D." Lionsgate filed a motion to dismiss, which De La Huerta opposed on Jan. 23, 2015. Lionsgate then opposed her opposition on Jan. 30, 2015, in a seemingly neverending loop of opposing motions.
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Rapper Rakim Mayers, aka A$AP Rocky, was sued in civil court in June 2014 for allegedly assaulting a woman while making his way through a crowd during the 2013 Made in America Festival.
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Nicki Minaj’s former hairstylist and wig designer filed a $30 million lawsuit against the rapper in 2014 for allegedly stealing his wig designs and costing him a potential reality show. A judge later dismissed the case for lack of sufficient evidence.
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Kim Kardashian and Kanye West filed suit against YouTube founder Chad Hurley on Oct. 31, 2013, claiming he posted a video of the couple’s surprise engagement to his website without permission. The process was delayed when Hurley’s reps filed an anti-SLAPP motion in an attempt to have the case dismissed.
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Jahmel Binion filed a lawsuit against Shaquille O’Neal in July 2014 when O’Neal posted a photo to his Instagram account mocking Binion, who suffers from a rare condition that causes facial abnormalities, sparse hair and missing teeth. Binion claimed defamation, emotional distress and invasion of privacy in the $25,000 lawsuit, and after pressure from the public O’Neal apologized.
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In 2014 singer Chris Brown was mentioned in a lawsuit filed by the cousin of artist Frank Ocean. The defendant claimed Brown and an associate allegedly kicked and punched him when he confronted them about parking in a spot designated for Ocean at a Los Angeles recording studio. Ocean, who was also injured, later said he wouldn't seek criminal or civil penalties.
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From embezzlement to slander, there’s no shortage of celebrity court action
Between Lindsay Lohan firing back at Fox News, Mariah Carey allegedly short changing her domestic help, and Sly Stone winning millions after suing his ex-manager -- stars often turn to the courts to address their squabbles and strife.