On Thursday, a jury ruled that Ed Sheeran was not responsible for copyright infringement on his hit song “Thinking Out Loud.” The decision came after a week-long trial in a Manhattan federal court and the jury’s deliberation for about three hours.
He was accused of copying parts of Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit “Let’s Get It On” for his 2014 song. The lawsuit was filed by heirs of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s collaborator and song’s co-writer, in 2017, claiming that Sheeran copied “harmonic progressions, melodic and rhythmic elements” that are the “heart” of Gaye’s iconic song. Sheeran had threatened to quit the music industry if he was found liable.
Sheeran argued during the trial that many pop songs use the same progressions and expressed concern that copyright infringement claims artists face could be “really damaging for the songwriting industry.” He even played the guitar as part of his defense. Sheeran has previously won a trial in the United Kingdom concerning a separate copyright infringement claim for his 2017 song, “Shape of You.”
He and his collaborators were also previously accused of copying the song “Amazing” by Matt Cardle for the 2014 song “Photograph,” which was reportedly settled out of court.
