Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke to pay $7.3 million to Marvin Gaye's heirs for 'Blurred Lines' plagiarism

A US jury has ruled that the writers of the hit Blurred Lines was merely reminiscent of a song by Marvin Gaye.

Jurors in Los Angeles decided that the 2013 single by Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke breached the copyright of Gaye's 1977 hit Got To Give It Up and so the family of the late soul singer has been awarded $7.3 million in damages, the BBC reported.

The children of Gaye, who died in April 1984, Nona, Frankie and Marvin Gaye III, sued Thicke and Williams in 2013. Nona, who wept as the verdict was read in court, said after the ruling that right now she feels free from Williams and Thicke's chains and what they tried to keep on her family and the lies that were told.

In court, Williams mentioned it to jurors that Gaye's music was part of the soundtrack of his youth but he insisted it was not on his mind when he wrote the song, but the musician recognised a likeness between the songs and agreed he was "channelling that late-70s feeling" when he co-wrote the song. Thicke testified that he had contributed little to the writing of the song.

The duo's lawyer Howard E King said that while they respect the judicial process, they are extremely disappointed in the ruling made today, which sets a horrible precedent for music and creativity going forward. King added that they are reviewing the decision, considering their options and people will hear more from them soon about this matter.