Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams aren't handing over $7.4 million without a fight; their lawyers are now requesting a new trial in the 'Blurred Lines' copyright case.
In March, the pair were judged to have infringed the copyright of Marvin Gaye's song 'Got to Give It Up' on 'Blurred Lines', and were ordered to pay $7.4 million to the Gaye estate. The ruling was criticised by many high-profile musicians who claimed that it would be damaging to the artistic licence of songwriters in the future.
Now, their lawyers say that there were 'prejudicial and irrelevant' elements brought into the trial - including the testimony of a musicologist - and that it's enough to warrant a new trial.
They have brought a motion to US District judge John Kronstadt that reads: "Although many of Counter-Defendants’ objections were sustained and much of Ms Finell’s testimony was stricken after it was given, the net effect of this cumbersome process was extremely prejudicial to Counter-Defendants: (1) the jury likely concluded that Counter-Defendants were overly concerned by Ms Finell’s testimony or were desiring to obstruct and delay the proceedings; (2) Ms Finell was able to present to the jury testimony, demonstratives, and music that the jury never should have seen or heard; and, (3) the jury faced an impossible task of having to constantly distinguish between the select parts of what they saw and heard each day that they could consider later in reaching their verdict, and the parts they could not."
The judge will consider the motions put forward at the end of June.
