Ed Sheeran has been accused of copying snippets of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” in his song “Thinking Out Loud.” After Sheeran tried to have the lawsuit dismissed, he was convicted in court in the United States.
Ed Sheeran dismisses the lawsuit
The copyright infringement lawsuit was filed in 2018 by Structured Asset Sales – a company that owns a portion of the copyrights of “Let’s Get It On” co-writer Ed Townsend. Sheeran’s attorneys argued against the lawsuit that the similar elements between the two songs — a chord progression and harmonic rhythm — are too common to constitute copyright infringement. The defense also pointed out that The Temptations’ “Since I Lost My Baby” is proof that a single artist cannot claim minute musical building blocks.
The presiding judge, on the other hand, sees it a little differently: “There is no clear rule stating that the combination of two non-protectable elements is not numerous enough to constitute an original work. A work can be copyrightable even if it is solely a compilation of non-protectable elements,” he explained.
Sheeran’s hit “Shape Of You” was also sued
Both Sheeran’s and Gaye’s music have been involved in several copyright lawsuits in the past. For example, Sheeran has been accused by artist Sami Switch and producer Ross O’Donoghue of copying their song “Oh Why” in his hit “Shape of You.” Gaye’s heir also sued Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for using parts of “Got to Give It Up” in their song “Blurred Lines”. Gaye’s heir won the lawsuit, receiving more than $5 million in damages and songwriting credit.
Meanwhile, on September 29, Sheeran released his new single, “Celestial,” made in collaboration with Pokémon. Sheeran came to Munich and Gelsenkirchen in September as part of his “+ – = ÷ x” tour, where he played three consecutive concerts each. ME author Linus Volkmann watched one of Sheeran’s shows in Frankfurt. His current album = released in 2021.
Check out the Pokémon-produced music video for Sheeran’s new single “Celestial”: