Ed Sheerans wins Thinking Out Loud copyright lawsuit

Ed Sheeran has walked away from his copyright trial victorious. The trial covered similarities between Sheeran’s hit single, Thinking Out Loud, and Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic, Let’s Get It On.

The heirs of Ed Townsend argue that Sheeran, Sony Music Publishing and Warner Music Group owe them money for copyright infringement. Townsend is the songwriter who composed the classic with Gaye. Sheeran said that if he was indeed found guilty at the trial, he would give up his music career:

If that happens, I’m done, I’m stopping…I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it

The jury spent just under three hours to decide that Sheeran had independently created Thinking Out Loud. The singer stood up elated, and hugged his team after the jurors came to their conclusion.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Sheeran admits he was “obviously very happy” with the outcome:

It looks like I’m not going to have to retire from my day job after all…But at the same time I am absolutely frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all

The lawsuit was initially filed in 2017. However, it took six years to finally reach a Manhattan federal court. Ever since then, Sheeran denied plagiarising Let’s Get It On. His lawyers argue that the sing uses common chord constructions found in numerous pop song.

Outside the court, Sheeran said he feels “frustrated” that “baseless claims” like this could go to court.

We’ve spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords which are also different and used by songwriters every day, all over the world

The result in New York comes a year after the British star won a similar copyright case in the UK.