According to The Hollywood Reporter, Marvin Gaye's family and major publishing company Sony/ATV have reached an undisclosed settlement with the "Blurred Lines" lawsuit that began last year.
As a quick refresher, Robin Thicke, as well as fellow "Blurred Lines" songwriters Pharrell Williams and Clifford Harris, a.k.a. T.I., sued Gaye's estate as a pre-emptive measure in August when the Motown singers family claimed Thicke's song ripped off Gaye's 1977 record "Got to Give It Up." Marvin's children Frankie Gaye and Nona Gaye counter-sued in October over the similarities between the songs.
They also filed a lawsuit against EMI April, a subsidiary of Sony/ATV, that owns publishing rights to both "Blurred Lines" and "Got to Give It Up." According to Gaye's children, EMI April failed to protect their fathers catalog of music. After filing the lawsuit, the chairman of EMI reportedly contacted Gaye's legal representative and called their claims "frivolous." Evidently the claim wasn't that frivolous as Sony/ATV decided to reach a settlement in the suit.
The agreement between Gaye's family and Sony/ATV means the publishing company won't have to defend their stake in administering copyrights to both songs. The company also won't have to address their standing in the music publishing market. They currently own 30 percent of all publishing.
The lawsuit between Thicke and Gaye's family continues, which means Sony/ATV are still on the hook.
[via THR]
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