From Miley Cyrus twerking on Robin Thicke during the VMAs, to the "Blurred Lines" songwriters successfully being sued by Marvin Gaye's estate, it seems like there's no end to the controversies from this story. The plot thickened this week as The Hollywood Reporter released video of Pharrell Williams' deposition.
In March, a federal jury found Williams and Thicke guilty of infringing on the copyright of Marvin Gaye's 1977 hit, "Got To Give It Up," when crafting the 2013 No. 1 single, "Blurred Lines." The case is now on its way to an appeal following the $7.3 million judgment.
The award-winning producer and musician is noticeably annoyed in the video and comes back with several combative quips. He spends most of the time with his head resting on his hand like a bored toddler being forced to sit through a grownup's dinner. But, it's understandable as the questioner gets pretty confrontational himself with silly questions that show a complete misunderstanding of music.
In the video below, Williams and the attorney get into a back and forth about explaining music. The attorney asked Williams to explain 6/8 time signatures, chord structures and whether or not he can read music during the deposition. This is when Williams' anger gets more palpable as he repeats that he's "not comfortable" answering the questions, especially when there's a musicologist in the room that can answer those same questions.
The most telling part of the deposition comes from the clip below, when Williams is asked about Gaye's influence on him while writing the song.
"I did not go in the studio with the intention of making anything feel like, or to sound like, Marvin Gaye," Williams said. The attorney followed up by asking, "When you were creating 'Blurred Lines,' were you trying to pretend that you were Marvin Gaye?" Williams replied: "At that particular time, no. But as I look back, I feel that feeling."
The case will continue on as there's a lot at stake in this lawsuit that could set a precedent for future cases of copyright infringement.
