Current:Home > InvestEd Sheeran Wins in Copyright Trial Over "Thinking Out Loud"-VaTradeCoin
Ed Sheeran Wins in Copyright Trial Over "Thinking Out Loud"
View Date:2025-01-07 13:17:39
This verdict is music to Ed Sheeran's ears.
A federal jury in New York found on May 4 that the singer is not liable in a copyright infringement lawsuit that alleged his song "Thinking Out Loud" had "striking similarities" and "overt common elements" to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," according to NBC News.
After the ruling, Sheeran reflected on his legal victory.
"I am obviously very happy with the outcome of the case, and it looks like I'm not going to have to retire from my day job after all," he said, referencing his previous comment that he would quit playing music if he lost, in a statement obtained by the news outlet. "But, at the same time, I am unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all."
The four-time Grammy winner released "Thinking Out Loud" in 2014. According to NBC News, the heirs of Ed Townsend—the musician who wrote the 1973 hit "Let's Get It On" with Gaye—filed the lawsuit against Sheeran in 2017 and accused him of violating the Copyright Act.
However, the British recording artist denied the allegations presented in the lawsuit and argued that songwriters use a common set of chords when creating music.
"We have 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," Sheeran continued. "These chords are common building blocks which were used to create music long before 'Let's Get It On' was written and will be used to make music long after we are all gone. They are a songwriter's 'alphabet,' our tool kit and should be there for us all to use. No-one owns them or the way they are played, in the same way, nobody owns the color blue."
Slamming what he called "unfounded claims like this one," Sheeran spoke about the threat he says these kind of lawsuits can pose to the "creative freedom" of musicians.
"We need to be able to write our original music and engage in independent creation without worrying at every step of the way that such creativity will be wrongly called into question," he added. "Like artists everywhere, [co-writer] Amy [Wadge] and I work hard to independently create songs which are often based around real-life, personal experiences. It is devastating to be accused of stealing other people's songs when we have put so much work into our livelihoods."
The 32-year-old also noted the trial caused him to miss a major family moment.
"I am just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy," he explained. "I am not and will never allow myself to be a piggy bank for anyone to shake. Having to be in New York for this trial has meant that I have missed being with my family at my grandmother's funeral in Ireland. I won't get that time back."
After thanking the jury, Wadge (who according to NBC News was not named in the lawsuit) his team and supporters, Sheeran—who also won a separate copyright infringement case over his song "Shape of You" last year—expressed his hope for the future.
"We need songwriters and the wider musical community to come together to bring back common sense," he concluded in his statement. "These claims need to be stopped so that the creative process can carry on, and we can all just go back to making music. At the same time, we absolutely need trusted individuals, real experts who help support the process of protecting copyright."
According to NBC News, the plaintiffs declined to make a statement out of the courthouse after the verdict was reached. The news outlet also noted it reached out to attorneys for comment, and E! News has reached out to teams for both parties as well.
(E! and NBC News are both part of the NBCUniversal family).
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News AppveryGood! (76)
Related
- Don't Miss Cameron Diaz's Return to the Big Screen Alongside Jamie Foxx in Back in Action Trailer
- Olympic medals today: What is the medal count at 2024 Paris Games on Sunday?
- U.S. women cap off Paris Olympic swimming with world-record gold in medley relay
- White Sox beaten 13-7 by Twins for 20th straight loss, longest MLB skid in 36 years
- How Alex Jones’ Infowars wound up in the hands of The Onion
- Alabama man on work trip stops to buy $3 quick pick Powerball ticket, wins 6-figure jackpot
- A college closes every week. How to know if yours is in danger of shutting down.
- Olympic medals today: What is the medal count at 2024 Paris Games on Monday?
- The View's Sara Haines Walks Off After Whoopi Goldberg's NSFW Confession
- Why Jordan Chiles' score changed, giving her bronze medal in Olympic floor final
Ranking
- Candidates line up for special elections to replace Virginia senators recently elected to US House
- Olympic gymnastics highlights: Simone Biles wins silver, Jordan Chiles bronze on floor
- Robert F. Kennedy in NY court as he fights ballot-access suit claiming he doesn’t live in the state
- How did Simone Biles do Monday? Star gymnast wraps Paris Olympics with beam, floor finals
- Taylor Swift's Dad Scott Swift Photobombs Couples Pic With Travis Kelce
- Wildfires rage in Oregon, Washington: Map the Pacific Northwest wildfires, evacuations
- Men's 100m final results: Noah Lyles wins gold in photo finish at 2024 Paris Olympics
- Horoscopes Today, August 3, 2024
Recommendation
-
Georgia's humbling loss to Mississippi leads college football winners and losers for Week 11
-
Video shows hulking rocket cause traffic snarl near SpaceX launch site
-
Debby shows there's more to a storm than wind scale: 'Impacts are going to be from water'
-
The internet's latest craze? Meet 'duck mom.'
-
Martin Scorsese on the saints, faith in filmmaking and what his next movie might be
-
Simone Biles ran afoul of salute etiquette. She made sure it didn’t happen on floor
-
Zac Efron hospitalized after swimming accident in Ibiza, reports say
-
USWNT roster, schedule for Paris Olympics: What to know about team headed into semifinals