“Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke, Pharrell Williams, and T.I. was the hottest song of 2013. Yes, it’s been five whole years since the country excitedly sang “hey, hey, hey,” along to the infectious tune.

Although the record was fun and catchy, fans of the track noticed that it sounded eerily like Marvin Gaye’s 1977 classic “Got To Give It Up.” The Gaye estate felt the same way. They sued Pharrell and Thicke for copyright infringement, and won in 2015.

Pharrell sat down with Finacial Times in 2015, and stated that the verdict, “handicaps any creator out there who is making something that might be inspired by something else.” He does have a point, since the lawsuit claimed that Pharrell stole the “feel” of the record. “Got To Give It Up” was not actually sampled on “Blurred Lines.”The “Lucky” singer appealed the ruling, but courts upheld their decision this week.

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals chose to uphold the verdict, which awards the Gaye family $5.3 million in damages, and 50 percent of royalties from the song. Rapper T.I., who is featured on the track for just one verse, was exonerated as a credited songwriter because the courts felt like he had nothing or little to do with emulating the Gaye song.

Source: hiphopdx.com