Earlier this month, a US federal jury in Los Angeles concluded that musicians Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, who wrote and performed the 2013 pop hit Blurred Lines, had committed a copyright violation by borrowing elements from a 1977 song, Got to Give It Up, by the late singer Marvin Gaye. The jury also awarded Gaye’s family $7.3 million (45 million yuan) for the *infringement in a highly controversial *verdict that started a debate in musical and legal circles. One of the most contested aspects of the court case was that the judge had asked the jury to base its decision on sheet music, or printed music scores, of both songs. Given the similarity between the *melodies of the two songs, the jury decided that there was a copyright violation.