Robin Thicke: 'Blurred Lines' Singer Sues Preemptively Over Marvin Gaye Copyright

Sad times, y'all. Robin Thicke, T.I. and Pharrell are preemptively suing the copyright holders of Marvin Gaye's "Got To Give It Up" and Funkadelic's "Sexy Ways", claiming that the defendants continue to claim that Thicke's "Blurred Lines" copied the tracks.

Via the lawsuit (which can be read in full at THR):

"Plaintiffs, who have the utmost respect for and admiration of Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic and their musical legacies, reluctantly file this action in the face of multiple adverse claims from alleged successors in interest to those artists. Defendants continue to insist that plaintiffs' massively successful composition, 'Blurred Lines,' copies 'their' compositions."

There is no doubt that "Blurred Lines" is heavily influenced by Gaye's hit, Thicke even said as much in an interview with GQ, saying "Pharrell and I were in the studio and I told him that one of my favorite songs of all time was Marvin Gaye's 'Got to Give It Up.' I was like, 'Damn, we should make something like that, something with that groove."

However, beyond a similar drum track and overall feel, I doubt there's much of a case to be made that Thicke openly copied "Got To Give It Up."

"Gaye defendants are claiming ownership of an entire genre, as opposed to a specific work, claims the suit, adding that "being reminiscent of a 'sound' is not copyright infringement. The intent in producing 'Blurred Lines' was to evoke an era."

Listen to them back-to-back and let us know what you think: homage or rip-off?

Robin Thicke - Blurred Lines

Marvin Gaye- Got To Give It Up

Funkadelic's "Sexy Ways" is an interesting addition to the suit. There are two places the song could sound similar to "Blurred Lines": the guitar riffing (which you'll recognize from almost every funk song made in the era) and the vocal melody similarity between the "I just want to say, that I love your sexy ways" and the "What do they make dreams for?" verse. For the record, George Clinton is on Thicke's side. Give it a listen below:

Funkadelic - Sexy Ways

What do you think of the news that Robin Thicke is suing to protect "Blurred Lines"?

Sound off in the comments.