Back in March, a federal jury found Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams guilty of infringing on the copyright of Marvin Gaye's 1977 hit song, "Got to Give It Up", to create their 2013 smash hit "Blurred Lines."
The pair were ordered by the court to pay the late singer's estate almost $7.4 million in damages, though a later judge would reduce the fee to $5.4 million.
Now with the case heading toward an appeal, a new development has surfaced. The Hollywood Reporter recently released exclusive video footage from 2014 of both Williams' and Thicke's depositions with attorney Richard Busch, the Gaye family's legal counsel. The series of videos show the two music stars engaged in heated exchanges with Busch as he grills them on the creative process behind making Blurred Lines.
"I did not go in the studio with the intention of making anything feel like, or to sound like, Marvin Gaye," said Williams in one of the clips. In the same video, Busch presses further asking, "When you were creating 'Blurred Lines,' were you trying to pretend that you were Marvin Gaye?" To which Williams responds "At that particular time, no. But as I look back, I feel that feeling."
In another testy conversation, Busch asks Williams: "What chords do they use exactly in Blue Grass?" To which Pharrell replied: "I'm not a teacher, I told you what I do, you should check it out." Not satisfied with the answer, Busch presses further; eliciting this response from Williams: "I'm not here to teach you music. I'm not a teacher."
"Is the answer that you don't know?" asks Busch again. Williams eventually replies: "I don't know".
To see these clips and many more, check out The Hollywood Reporter's piece on the Blurred Lines saga.
