Jurors Reach Decision In Ed Sheeran Thinking Out Loud Copyright Lawsuit
A jury has ruled that Ed Sheeran is not liable in the lawsuit surrounding his song Thinking Out Loud.
For around two weeks, the chart-topping singer has been in court in New York over allegations that his 2014 hit violates the copyright of the Marvin Gaye classic Let’s Get It On.
The lawsuit has been brought about by the heirs of the late music producer Ed Townsend, who co-wrote Let’s Get It On with Marvin Gaye in the early 70s.
On Thursday afternoon, the jurors ruled in Ed’s favour, finding he had not infringed on the family’s copyright interest in Let’s Get It On.
Earlier this week, Ed reportedly told the court that he would step back from his career in music if he were to be found guilty in the lawsuit.
“If that happens, I’m done, I’m stopping,” he claimed, adding: “I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it.”
Ed previously faced a lawsuit over accusations he and his co-writers ripped off the 2015 single Oh Why by Sam Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue on Ed’s signature tune Shape Of You.
In that instance, a judge also ruled in the Castle On The Hill singer’s favour, stating that the writing team had neither “deliberately nor subconsciously” copied a section of Oh Why while creating their tune.
Ed is currently gearing up for the release of his fifth studio album, – (pronounced Subtract), which is out on Friday.
The collection was preceded by lead single Eyes Closed, which peaked at number one in the UK singles chart upon its release in March.