Update: News broke this morning that Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke will appeal the federal jury's decision requiring the songwriters to pay Marvin Gaye's estate $7.4 million in damages in the copyright infringement case.
"We owe it to song writers around the world to make sure this verdict doesn't stand," said Howard King, the lawyer for Thicke and Williams, in an interview with Fox Business News.
Original story, March 10, 6:30 p.m.: The verdict is in: A federal jury has determined that "Blurred Lines" is too similar to Marvin Gaye's 1977 hit "Got To Give It Up," the L.A. Times reports. As a result of the copyright infringement, songwriters Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke are required to pay $7.4 million in damages to Gaye's children.
"Blurred Lines" was the controversial song of the summer in 2013. It was hard to escape its catchy beat and arguably offensive lyrics. Critics almost immediately caught the connection between the hit and Gaye's original, with numerous mashups popping up on YouTube.
"An attorney for the Gaye children, Richard Busch, said there were copied elements — including the bass and keyboard line, the hook and a repeated theme — in all but two bars of 'Blurred Lines,'" the L.A. Times explained.
Over the course of the trial, Thicke and Williams explained their song-writing process, arguing they were more influenced by Miley Cyrus and Earl Sweatshirt. And, Thicke said Pharrell did most of the writing.
For a more detailed breakdown of the case and its specifics, check out Billboard's careful coverage. No doubt this is a landmark decision in the music industry and will likely have widespread repercussions.
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