“The verdict handicaps any creator out there who is making something that might be inspired by something else,” Williams told The Financial Times. “This applies to fashion, music, design… anything. If we lose our freedom to be inspired, we’re going to look up one day and the entertainment industry as we know it will be frozen in litigation. This is about protecting the intellectual rights of people who have ideas.”
“Everything that’s around you in a room was inspired by something or someone,” Williams added. “If you kill that, there’s no creativity.” In The Financial Times‘ story, which looks at the impact of the “Blurred Lines” on the entertainment industry as a whole, producer Harvey Weinstein argues that, in today’s climate, Andy Warhol or Roy Lichtenstein – two artists directly inspired by pop culture – would not be able to create without fear of legal ramifications.
Following the verdict, an attorney for Pharrell and Robin Thicke told Rolling Stone, “They’re firm, rock solid, in the conclusion that they wrote this song independently from the heart and soul with no input from anyone, Marvin Gaye or anyone else. They sleep well knowing they didn’t copy the song.”