Blurred v. Bright: The Changing Analysis of Copyright Infringement in Music
Jay Rosenthal will be commenting on a panel, "Blurred v. Bright: The Changing Analysis of Copyright Infringement in Music," at the University of Colorado Law School's Silicon Flatirons Third Annual Content Conference on March 23, 2017 from 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM (Mountain Time).
The Blurred Lines case, in which Marvin Gaye’s estate secured a multi-million dollar judgment against songwriters and recording artists Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke for copyright infringement stemming from similar sounding songs, has dominated the recent industry headlines. For some commentators, this result is a win for artists whose work is routinely “borrowed” from without compensation or attribution. In an era in which new music often evokes earlier works, the holding is alternately viewed as a potential threat to artistic creation, to the ultimate detriment of the public. Whatever the take, this seminal verdict marks a significant development in the application of copyright’s substantial similarity doctrine to music.
This conference, Silicon Flatirons’ third annual to focus on content, centers on the Blurred Lines case. A pair of panel discussions considering the potential impact of the verdict from both an artistic and a policy perspective will follow.