"Blurred Lines" Decision Could Be Overturned On Appeal

As a copyright lawyer, it is my opinion that this "Blurred Lines" decision could well be overturned on appeal by a higher court. 

The genre or musical style of a song is not protectable under copyright law - the lyrics and the melody are, but that was not the allegation in this case. The claim here was that defendants copied the groove and style of the Marvin Gaye song "Got To Give It Up", and I do not believe that the jury's decision would be upheld on appeal as a matter of copyright law (although a jury might not understand that concept).

In modern popular music it is understandable that current artists are effectively midgets standing on the shoulders of giants in order to reach new heights... and some similarities are bound to appear in the new works so created. However, when it comes to the particulars and technicalities of copyright law, emotions (particularly envy and jealousy) are usually not well-suited to reaching a correct resolution (and that applies to the jury as well as the many public opinions that abound on this case).

To date, this "Blurred Lines" decision is the only copyright infringement lawsuit ever in which no specific melody, harmony, rhythm or lyrics were copied. The "that songs reminds me of another song" threshold would be a new legal standard. If this is the new threshold for copyright infringement, a lot of modern artists (like Bruno Mars) and 60s British artists (from the Beatles to Led Zeppelin) could be in trouble!

See case info here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/blurred-lines-jury-orders-robin-779445

Wallace Collins is an entertainment and intellectual property lawyer based in New York with more than 30 years of experience. He was a recording artist for Epic Records before receiving his law degree from Fordham Law School. Tel: (212) 661-3656;  www.wallacecollins.com