The ruling of a federal jury in a case to determine whether the hit song Blurred Lines amounts to copyright infringement against Marvin Gaye’s 1977 song, Got to Give it Up, has left many in the music industry wondering what’s going on. Neither side argued that the newer song ain’t nothing like the real thing, but oh brother, brother, brother, the $7.4 million ruling against Blurred Line’s Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams could have an impact beyond this case; and maybe beyond music. This, after all, is the digital era when we’re all borrowing ideas, words, and cat video memes from each other at an unprecedented pace. In fact, I think I’ll sample a track from WaPo’s Chris Richards right here: “Will Madonna sue Lady Gaga? Will George Clinton sue OutKast? Will Prince sue Bruno Mars, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and umpteen-hundred others? And then will Little Richard sue Prince? These idiotic questions [just] became frighteningly legitimate.”

+ LA Times: Ruling that Blurred Lines copied Marvin Gaye song rocks music world.