T.I. Talks ‘Blurred Lines’: ‘I Don’t Steal From Anybody’
T.I. is shrugging off a recent legal motion on the part of attorney Richard Busch, who represented the family of Marvin Gaye in their highly publicized legal battle over the T.I.-featuring song “Blurred Lines.” The lawyer has asked a judge to make the rapper liable of copyright infringement along with Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams. “I don’t know what’s going on,” T.I. recently told TMZ, denying he would ever “steal” from another artist. “I never really get caught up in that. I have nothing but admiration and respect for the legacy and the estate of Marvin Gaye.”
The motion follows the Gayes’ $7.3 million victory in a suit which found “Blurred Lines” writers Thicke and Williams guilty of infringing on Marvin Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up.” In the original trial, the jury did not find T.I. guilty of infringement. But Busch claims that the rapper – who owns 13 percent of the song – should be held responsible along with the other songwriters since he played a role in the “creation, manufacture and distribution” of the track.
“Whatever happens, man, the universe will deal with it,” T.I. said. “I know that I’m a writer. I’m a creator. I don’t steal from anybody creatively when I make my music. I know that, and I think anybody with common sense gonna be able to see that when they listen to it. I’ll be exonerated or whatever because I know I did the right thing. I didn’t steal from anybody on any of my material.”
Busch has also filed another motion asking a judge to halt all sales of “Blurred Lines” while the writing credits are negotiated for the Gaye family’s future revenue shares. Making matters more complicated, the verdict only covered the copyright to the song’s composition – not the actual recording. But Busch feels the record labels distributing “Blurred Lines” – including Universal Music Group and Williams’ Star Trak – are also contributing to the infringement since they are distributing a recording of that composition without the Gayes’ consent.
In response to Busch’s motions, Howard King, the attorney for Thicke, Williams, and T.I., wrote in his own motion that “this case is far from over,” adding that “the jury verdict against Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke is an abject miscarriage of justice, unsupported by the evidence and contrary to the law.”