Robin Thicke hits back at Marvin Gaye plagiarism claim

R&B superstar Robin Thicke filed legal papers challenging claims that a riff from his smash hit "Blurred Lines" had been swiped from Marvin Gaye's 1970s classic "Got to Give it Up." Thicke and collaborators Pharrell Williams and T.I have requested that a federal judge in Los Angeles declares the song wholly original and their own work. As well as the estate of late singer Gaye, "Blurred Lines" is also being challenged by Bridgeport Music, which alleges the song has ripped off elements of Funkadelic's 1974 album track "Sexy Ways." "There are no similarities between plaintiffs' composition and those the claimants allege they own, other than commonplace musical elements," papers filed by Thicke's attorneys said. "Plaintiffs created a hit and did it without copying anyone else's composition. "Being reminiscent of a `sound' is not copyright infringement. The intent in producing 'Blurred Lines' was to evoke an era," it added. "The reality is that the songs themselves are starkly different." Thicke meanwhile received backing from Funkadelic's legendary front man George Clinton on Friday. "No sample of Funkadelic's 'Sexy Ways' in Robin Thicke's 'Blurred Lines' ... We support Robin Thicke and Pharrell!" Clinton wrote on Twitter.