Blurred Lines: Copycatting could be costly
buzzz worthy. . . BRANDUCATION 101: When the use of intellectual property starts to affect an entity's ability to make money or blurs the lines of ownership, is it still flattery? Not so much. R&B singer Robin Thicke has been in the news recently about the use of a familiar background groove in his internationally popular hit "Blurred Lines." He's currently in a plagiarism feud with the late Marvin Gaye's children about allegedly sampling Gaye's 1977 smash single, "Got to Give It Up." Thicke and crew (producer Pharrell and rapper T.I) preemptively sued the Gaye estate after being accused of using Gaye's music. The Gaye family filed a counter suit against Thicke for a historic pattern of borrowing from Gaye's sound and style. Thicke has publicly acknowledged Gaye is one of his musical influences, but the song in question is so reminiscent of the originator's style and sound he appears to be "imitating or duplicat...