Final answer:
Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were found guilty of copyright infringement for their song "Blurred Lines." It resembled Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" enough to violate copyright without being an exact copy or a derivative work.
Step-by-step explanation:
In 2015, a federal jury found that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams committed copyright infringement against Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up" with their song "Blurred Lines". They were found guilty of creating a song that was not an exact reproduction, nor a derivative work in the sense that it was not an authorized variation; it was also not considered fair use, which would allow for limited, transformative use without permission. Instead, "Blurred Lines" was deemed to be sufficiently similar to Gaye's work to constitute infringement despite not being an outright copy, a legal distinction that cost Thicke and Williams more than 5 million dollars.
Copyright laws are enacted by state and federal governments to protect intellectual property, inclusive of but not limited to works of authorship like books and music. These laws grant copyright owners exclusive rights to reproduce, distribute, and perform their works publicly. The case of Thicke and Williams illustrates the protections that copyright offers to the original creators, enabling them to control how, when, and where their work is sold, displayed, or reproduced.