“When the Ninth Circuit affirmed the jury’s finding in Williams v Gaye that a collection of ‘signature phrases, hooks, bass melodies, [and] word painting’ in Robin Thicke’s ‘Blurred Lines’ was substantially similar to Marvin Gaye’s ‘Got to Give It Up’, it blurred the line between musical inspiration and appropriation. Also left uncertain was the scope of copyright protection in works like Gaye’s that were registered in the form of sheet music ‘deposit copies’ under the Copyright Act of 1909. Fearful that they too might be found to have illegally appropriated from their inspirations, popular musicians instituted the practice of granting songwriting credits and their associated royalties to anyone and everyone who may have influenced new music …” (more)
‘Skidmore v Led Zeppelin’ 134 Harvard Law Review (February 10, 2021).
First posted 2021-02-11 16:17:53
Leave a Reply