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Marvin Gaye's Family & Robin Thicke: Son May Sue Over 'Blurred Lines' And 'Got To Give It Up'

Major Bad News For Robin Thicke
By 

Associate Entertainment Editor, The Huffington Post

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News broke last week that Robin Thicke was taking Marvin Gaye's family to court, filing a lawsuit to protect his own smash hit, "Blurred Lines."

The 36-year-old singer was joined by his "Blurred Lines" contributors, T.I. and Pharrell Williams, in filing a suit against the estate of late singer Marvin Gaye and Bridgeport Music. After widespread comparisons were made between "Blurred Lines" and Marvin Gaye's '70s song "Got to Give It Up," the singer reportedly wrote in the claim that he has "the utmost respect for and admiration of Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic and their musical legacies," but has been forced to "reluctantly file this action in the face of multiple adverse claims from alleged successors in interest to those artists."

Marvin Gaye's son, Marvin Gaye III, is now speaking out against Thicke's actions. Gaye's son appeared on TMZ Live with his wife, Wendy, and D'Extra Wiley, a spokesperson for the Marvin Gaye estate.

"We're all fans of Robin Thicke's, as well as he's a fan of my father's," Gaye III said. "Our point is that there's a way to do business and a way not to do business. We're not happy with the way he went about doing the business, let alone suing us over something where he clearly got his inspiration from at the least. That's caused my family a lot of due duress, and myself also. I'm under kidney failure, as well as I'm promoting my own album. I have better things to do than to be sitting here trying to defend my father's legacy, which I'm glad to do cause that's my position."

"If you listen to the music, I'm sure anyone will see the similarities clearly between what my father does and what Robin Thicke has been trying to do," he continued. "What would he want to be protected from if he didn't do anything?"

As to whether the family will be suing, Gaye III simply responded, "What do you think?" before adding, "My counsel is right now in the process of taking care of business, and like I said, once again I'm here to uphold my father's legacy."

Songs Allegedly Stolen From Other Artists
Katy Perry - "Roar"(01 of12)
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After the release of "Roar," the lead single off of Katy Perry's 2013 album "Prism," listeners noticed major similarities between the track and the Sara Bareilles song "Brave." Bareilles commented on the comparisons by simply tweeting "All love, everybody. All love." (credit:Getty Images)
will.i.am. and Britney Spears - "Scream and Shout"(02 of12)
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Will.i.am isn't experiencing his first copyright-related lawsuit, as 24-year-old singer Tulisa sued the Black Eyed Peas frontman for allegedly stealing some of her lyrics in the Britney Spears collaboration "Scream and Shout." Will had admitted to using her song, recorded as "I Don't Give A F--k," having received it from the original producer, who reportedly didn't want it on Tulisa's album. But that hasn't stopped Tulisa from seeking royalties from the song's profits. (credit:Getty Images)
Alicia Keys - "Girl On Fire"(03 of12)
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Songwriter Earl Shuman accused Alicia Keys of repurposing his 1962 track "Hey There Lonely Girl," a hit for Eddie Holman, on her 2012 single "Girl On Fire." She is currently facing a legal battle after being sued for copyright infringement. (credit:Getty Images)
Shakira - "Hips Don't Lie"(04 of12)
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Popular Puerto Rican salsa singer Jerry Rivera claimed Shakira's "Hips Don't Lie" stole the horn progression from his song "Amores Como el Nuestro," prompting the singer not to show up at Spain's equivalent of the Grammys. Shortly thereafter, Shakira was accused of stealing part of the refrain from the popular Luis Dias song "Carnaval (Baila en la Calle)." Neither of these artists pressed charges.An earlier version of this slide incorrectly identified Rivera as Spanish, rather than Puerto Rican. (credit:Getty Images)
50 Cent - "I Get Money"(05 of12)
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Atlanta rapper Tyronne Simmons, better known as Caliber, sued 50 Cent, a producer and several music executives for copyright infringement for allegedly stealing the instrumental track for the 2007 song "I Get Money." Caliber claimed he had purchased exclusive rights to the material and proceeded to bring a suit against 50 Cent. It was eventually dropped, as the three-year statute of limitations for copyright infringement eventually passed. (credit:Getty Images)
Avril Lavigne - "Girlfriend"(06 of12)
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The songwriters for The Rubinoos sued Avril Lavigne and her record label in May 2007, claiming her song "Girlfriend" infringed on their 1979 hit "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend." The lawsuit was settled in early 2008, with Lavigne's music reps saying the songs' similarities were purely coincidental. (credit:Getty Images)
The Beatles - "Come Together"(07 of12)
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Big Seven Music Corp. sued The Beatles in 1973, accusing the band of ripping the beat and lyrics of "Come Together" from Chuck Berry's "You Can't Catch Me." The parties settled out of court, but John Lennon vowed to record three additional Big Seven songs as retribution. He did so, and Big Music retaliated by issuing unreleased tapes of Lennon's music. Lennon countersued and was awarded almost $85,000. (credit:PA)
Coldplay - "Vida La Vida"(08 of12)
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The men of Coldplay came under fire for the band's 2008 hit, "Vida La Vida." Guitarist Joe Satriani accused the band of plagiarizing his 2004 song "If I Could Fly." Satriani went so far as to sue the band. (credit:Getty Images)
The Beach Boys - "Surfin' U.S.A."(09 of12)
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Chuck Berry strikes again. The R&B singer accused the Beach Boys classic "Surfin' U.S.A." of being a note-for-note rip of his "Sweet Little Sixteen." After a lawsuit, Berry received a writing credit and royalties from the song. (credit:Getty Images)
Radiohead - "Creep"(10 of12)
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Radiohead's smash single "Creep" was accused of plagiarizing The Hollies' 1973 song "The Air That I Breathe." The Hollies won their lawsuit, which said that "Creep" stole a chord progression and melody from their song. As a result, Albert Hammond and Mike Hazlewood are now listed as co-songwriters on the Radiohead song. (credit:AP)
Madonna - "Justify My Love"(11 of12)
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Public Enemy accused Madonna's controversial 1990 song "Justify My Love" of sampling the instrumentals from "Security of the First World." Madonna claimed she'd never heard the song, and Public Enemy never brought a lawsuit anyway, with many speculating it was because they'd sampled music as well. Madonna's "Justify" troubles didn't end there, as poet Ingrid Chavez later sued Lenny Kravitz, the song's producer and co-writer, for stealing the lyrics from one of her poems. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and Chavez received a belated writing credit on the track. (credit:Getty Images)
Led Zeppelin - "Whole Lotta Love"(12 of12)
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Led Zeppelin has fought several copyright lawsuits unsuccessfully, one of which came in conjunction with 1969's "Whole Lotta Love." In 1985, Willie Dixon claimed the song was fashioned out of his 1962 track "You Need Love." The suit was settled out of court, and "Whole Lotta Love" now features a songwriting credit for Dixon. (credit:Getty Images)

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