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Now, Thicke and Pharrell havelost their appeal.
(The only change is that T.I., featured on the song, no longer has to pay.)
How did the judges arrive at this decision and how might it affect the music industry at large?
Jeff Peretz, copyright expert and professor at NYUs Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music, explains.
Pharrell and Thicke were arguing that there were.
So for it to be infringed upon, the infringer would have to copy it almost verbatim.
But that argument confuses the how with the what of a composition.
Further, only melody and lyrics are traditionally deemed copyrightable.
He, in essence, walked right up to the legal line but made sure not to cross it.
What the original decision did was move the line.
Simply put, you cant retry a case just because you didnt like the verdict.
Was the decision unanimous?No.
