Currently, the case is making its way through the court system and Thicke’s deposition testimony was leaked to the press. In it, Thicke claimed that all of his public statements could not be used against him because he made them all while drunk and high. He further claims that even though he was present when the song was written, he had no part in it because he was too high. Gaye’s estate is understandably not amused. The A.V. Clubhas the full story in an article titled “Robin Thicke says he can’t be blamed for ‘Blurred Lines’ because he was high.”
Most estates will not find themselves involved in this type of bizarre litigation, but when copyright infringement issues are involved unusual things oftentimes surface. If you hold copyrights, then it is important to have your estate planning in order in case your estate needs to enforce them. In this case, we will have to wait and see what a judge thinks about Thicke’s excuse. It is not likely to go over very well.
