WILLIAMS v. GAYE

No. 15-56880, No. 16-55089, No. 16-55626.

895 F.3d 1106 (2018)

Pharrell WILLIAMS, an individual; Clifford Harris, Jr., an individual; Robin Thicke, an individual, DBA I Like'em Thicke Music, Plaintiffs-Counter-Defendants-Appellants, and More Water From Nazareth Publishing, Inc.; Star Trak Entertainment; Interscope Records; UMG Recordings, Inc.; Universal Music Distribution, Counter-Defendants-Appellants, v. Frankie Christian GAYE, an individual; Marvin Gaye III, an individual; Nona Marvisa Gaye, an individual, Defendants-Counter-Claimants-Appellees. Pharrell Williams, an individual; Clifford Harris, Jr., an individual; Robin Thicke, an individual, DBA I Like'em Thicke Music, Plaintiffs-Counter-Defendants-Appellees, and More Water From Nazareth Publishing, Inc.; Star Trak Entertainment; Interscope Records; UMG Recordings, Inc.; Universal Music Distribution, Counter-Defendants-Appellees, v. Frankie Christian Gaye, an individual; Marvin Gaye III, an individual; Nona Marvisa Gaye, an individual, Defendants-Counter-Claimants-Appellants. Pharrell Williams, an individual; Robin Thicke, an individual, DBA I Like'em Thicke Music; Clifford Harris, Jr., an individual, Plaintiffs-Counter-Defendants-Appellees, and More Water From Nazareth Publishing, Inc.; Star Trak Entertainment; Interscope Records; UMG Recordings, Inc.; Universal Music Distribution, Counter-Defendants-Appellees. v. Frankie Christian Gaye, an individual; Marvin Gaye III, an individual; Nona Marvisa Gaye, an individual, Defendants-Counter-Claimants-Appellants.

United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit.

Filed March 21, 2018.

Amended July 11, 2018.


Attorney(s) appearing for the Case

Kathleen M. Sullivan (argued) and Ellyde R. Thompson , Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, New York, New York; Daniel C. Posner , Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP, Los Angeles, California; Howard E. King , Stephen D. Rothschild , and Seth Miller , King Holmes Paterno & Soriano LLP, Los Angeles, California; for Plaintiffs-Appellants/Cross-Appellees Pharrell Williams, Clifford Harris Jr., Robin Thicke, and More Water from Nazareth Publishing Inc.

Mark E. Haddad (argued), Amanda R. Farfel , Michelle B. Goodman , Rollin A. Ransom , and Peter I. Ostroff , Sidley Austin LLP, Los Angeles, California, for Defendants-Appellants/Cross-Appellees Star Trak Entertainment, Interscope Records, UMG Recordings Inc., Universal Music Distribution.

Lisa Blatt (argued), Arnold & Porter LLP, Washington, D.C.; Richard S. Busch (argued), Sara R. Ellis , and Steven C. Douse , King & Ballow, Nashville, Tennessee; Daniel B. Asimow and Martin R. Glick , Arnold & Porter LLP, San Francisco, California; Paul H. Duvall , King & Ballow, Century City, California; Mark L. Block , Wargo & French LLP, Los Angeles, California; Paul N. Philips , Law Offices of Paul N. Philips APLC, Beverly Hills, California; for Defendants-Appellees/Cross-Appellants Frankie Christian Gaye, Marvin Gaye III, and Nona Marvisa Gaye.

Kenneth D. Freundlich , Freundlich Law, Encino, California, for Amici Curiae Musicologists.

Edwin F. McPherson , McPherson Rane LLP, Los Angeles, California, for Amici Curiae 212 Songwriters, Composers, Musicians, and Producers.

Charles Duan , Public Knowledge, Washington, D.C., for Amicus Curiae Public Knowledge.

Sean M. O'Connor , Lateef Mtima , and Steven D. Jamar , Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice Inc., Rockville, Maryland, for Amicus Curiae Institute for Intellectual Property and Social Justice; Musicians and Composers; and Law, Music, and Business Professors.

Bernard A. Burk , Director, Lawyering Skills Program, William H. Bowen School of Law, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Little Rock, Arkansas; Howard Barry Abrams , University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, Detroit, Michigan; for Amici Curiae Musicologists.

Eugene Volokh , Mayer Brown LLP, Los Angeles, California; Erich C. Carey and Danielle M. Aguirre , National Music Publishers' Association, Washington, D.C.; for Amici Curiae Recording Industry Association of America and National Music Publishers' Association.

Dissent by Judge Nguyen.


ORDER

The opinion and dissent filed March 21, 2018, and reported at 885 F.3d 1150, are hereby amended. The amended opinion and dissent will be filed concurrently with this order.

Judges M. Smith and Murguia voted to deny the petition for rehearing en banc. Judge Nguyen voted to grant it. The full court has been advised of the petition for rehearing en banc, and no judge requested a vote on whether to rehear the matter en...

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