Report: Pharrell Williams, Robin Thicke Penalties Lowered by $2 Million In 'Blurred Lines' Case

'Blurred Lines' Damages Reduced

The $7.4 million owed by PHARRELL WILLIAMS and ROBIN THICKE to the family of MARVIN GAYE in the "Blurred Lines" suit has been reduced to $5.3 million, according to a report on BBC.COM.

A judge trimmed the total from the damages owed by WILLIAMS and co-writer ROBIN THICKE for the song, which was ruled plagiarized the 1977 GAYE hit, "Got To Give It Up" (NET NEWS 3/10).

U.S. District Judge JOHN A. KRONSTADT slashed that total to $5.3 million, a reduction in actual damages from $4 million to just under $3.2 million, with WILLIAMS' personali liability going from $1.6 million to about $358,000. .

The judge also gave GAYE's family a 50% cut of future earnings from the song, but rejected a request that would have temporarily blocked sales and performances of the track. The ruling also refused a request by THICKE and WILLIAMS' lawyers for a new trial.

The hit single made more than $5 million  for WILLIAMS and THICKE. In MARCH, jurors found that rapper TI, who received a songwriting credit and a share of the royalties for his verse on the song, did not commit copyright infringement -- but KRONSTADT ruled that other elements of the jury's verdict mean he must be included in the judgment, along with INTERSCOPE RECORDS, UNIVERSAL MUSIC GROUP and WILLIAMS' STAR TRAK ENTERTAINMENT.

WILLIAMS' lawyer HOWARD KING added: "While we certainly respect the diligence and care devoted by the court throughout these proceedings, we must agree to disagree on the conclusions. We look forward to exercising our further remedies and ultimately achieving clarity on the difference between inspiration and copyright infringement."

TUESDAY 's ruling paves the way for the next phase of the showdown when THICKE and WILLIAMS take the dispute to an appeals court.

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