English singer, Ed Sheeran, has emerged victorious from a lawsuit that accused him of copying elements of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” for his Grammy-winning hit, “Thinking Out Loud.”
The jury in Manhattan federal court found Sheeran did not engage in willful copyright infringement after approximately three hours of deliberations.
The lawsuit was brought by the family of the late Ed Townsend, the co-writer of “Let’s Get It On.”
They claimed that Sheeran copied the rhythm, chord progression, and other elements of the 1973 soul classic without permission.
Throughout the trial, Sheeran took the stand, performing mashups of his and Gaye’s songs to demonstrate the similarities and influence that Northern Irish singer Van Morrison provided.
Sheeran testified that he and co-writer Amy Wadge “independently created” “Thinking Out Loud” during an emotional conversation.
After the verdict was read, Sheeran expressed his happiness and relief but also frustration at baseless claims being allowed to go to court.
“At the same time, I’m unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all,” he told reporters outside the courthouse.
The defense argued that Sheeran and Wadge’s song was an original creation and that the case never should have been brought.
Sheeran’s attorney, Ilene Farkas, warned the jury that a verdict against Sheeran would mean “creativity will be stifled for fear of being sued.”
This isn’t the first time that either artist’s music has been the center of a copyright trial.
Sheeran won a copyright infringement case last year involving “Shape of You,” while Gaye’s heirs, who are not involved in this current lawsuit, won a case in 2015 against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams involving “Got to Give it Up.”
In the end, the jury ultimately decided in favor of Sheeran, with juror Sophia Neis saying they “thought long and hard” about the questions they were given.
