Ed Sheeran found not liable by jury in copyright trial over Marvin Gaye song
Kaelan Deese
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Ed Sheeran, the British songwriter, was handed a legal victory Thursday after a jury found him not liable in a case in which he was accused of borrowing chords from Marvin Gaye’s hit “Let’s Get It On” for his 2014 track “Thinking Out Loud.”
The verdict in Manhattan federal court concludes a trial in which the musician took the stand himself to defend his case. At one point, the “Shape of You” singer took out his guitar and performed parts of his song to demonstrate his belief that musical similarities do not automatically indicate copyright infringement.
‘LET’S GET IT ON’ IN COURT OVER ED SHEERAN AND MARVIN GAYE COPYRIGHT DISPUTE
Sheeran was so strong in his belief that he threatened to quit music if he lost the case.
“If that happens, I’m done — I’m stopping,” he said in court.
The copyright infringement lawsuit was brought by the family of singer-songwriter Ed Townsend, who co-wrote Gaye’s song. The lawsuit reportedly sought $100 million in damages.
In years past, Sheeran himself has fused the two songs together during live shows.
Attorney Ben Crump sought to convince jurors that Sheeran’s own intentional blending of the songs was tantamount to “a confession.”
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Sheeran’s lawyers prevailed with their argument that the artist only used foundational elements of pop music to create “Thinking Out Loud.”
“The two songs share versions of a similar and unprotectable chord progression that was freely available to all songwriters,” the lawyers wrote in court filings.