Thinking Out Loud

Ed Sheeran Wins Another Lawsuit Against “Let’s Get It On” Rights Holders

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Ed Sheeran has beat another lawsuit over his song “Thinking Out Loud.” The singer just toppled a second lawsuit alleging that he had plagiarized Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” Earlier this month, a federal jury handed down the same ruling, agreeing that Sheeran did not copy Gaye’s song. A district judge in Manhattan dismissed a second case yesterday. This time, the lawsuit was filed by Structured Asset Sales (SAS), a company owned by investment banker David Pullman. SAS owns a portion of the rights to “Let’s Get It On” after acquiring the share previously owned by writer Ed Townsend. The writer passed away in 2003. The first lawsuit was filed by members of Townsend’s family. They also hold a stake in the rights to the song.

According to The Guardian, Structured Asset Sales (SAS) had claimed in court that the combination of chord progression and harmonic rhythm in Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” was significantly similar to Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” They alleged that the similarities should be considered copyright infringement. However, the results were similar to the previous trial. It was decided that the chord progression used in both songs lacked the distinctiveness to establish copyright infringement. There is still one pending lawsuit from SAS against Sheeran concerning the recorded version of “Let’s Get It On.” Both parties are awaiting a potential jury trial for this matter. Prior to the initial trial, Sheeran had mentioned that he would retire from music if the court ruled against him. Luckily for his fans, that was not the case. Despite the legal challenges, Sheeran released his latest album, Subtract, on May 5.

Ed Sheeran Wrote 7 Songs In 4 Hours After His Wife’s Cancer Diagnosis

Ed Sheeran and Cherry Seaborn during The BRIT Awards 2022 at The O2 Arena.
(Photo by JMEnternational/Getty Images)

Ed Sheeran is well-known for his love-themed songs. As expected, he continues this trend with on his most recent album. Alongside the record, he announced a documentary titled The Sum Of It All. In this documentary, Sheeran opens up about his wife’s cancer diagnosis and shares his feelings about the situation. Last year, while discovering her second pregnancy with Sheeran, Cherry Seaborn, his wife, was diagnosed with cancer after a tumor was found. It was both a joyous occasion and a sad one.

The documentary explores how the couple dealt with the news and how Sheeran turned to his musical talent as a form of therapy. After receiving the diagnosis, Sheeran went to the basement and wrote seven songs in just four hours. Musicians have long seen songwriting as a personal form of therapy. It seems that Sheeran also finds solace in this method to express himself. At the very least, the pop singer has the ability to make the best of a less-than-ideal situation. What do you think of the lawsuits against Ed Sheeran? Sound off in the comments below!

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Ed Sheeran Says He’s ‘Very Happy’ But ‘Absolutely Frustrated’ After His Win In The Marvin Gaye Plagiarism Trial

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Today (May 4) was a big one for Ed Sheeran: He was facing a lawsuit over allegations of plagiarizing Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” for his own “Thinking Out Loud,” but the verdict in his favor was delivered this afternoon. Sheeran has shared his thoughts on the situation and he has mixed feelings.

After the ruling was handed out, outside the courthouse, Sheeran told reporters (as Evening Standard notes):

“I’m obviously very happy with the outcome of this case and 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. If the jury had decided this matter the other way, we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters. We need to be able to write our original music and engage in independent creativity without worrying at every step on the way that said creativity will be wrongly called into question.”

(The singer’s joke about retirement references a recent comment he made about potentially being found guilty: “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.”)

Sheeran also confirmed reports that he missed his grandmother’s funeral in Ireland due to the trial, saying that he “won’t get that time back” (as the Associated Press reports).

AP also noted of Sheeran’s immediate reaction to the verdict, “As the jury answered the single question of whether Sheeran proved he didn’t infringe upon the copyright in the affirmative, the crooner briefly put his hands over his face in relief before standing and hugging his lawyer. As jurors left the courtroom, Sheeran quietly mouthed “thank you” in their direction. He then spoke for about 10 minutes with the plaintiffs, including the daughter of Ed Townsend, who co-created the 1973 soul classic with Gaye. They hugged and smiled with each other.”

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

The Jury Has Ruled In Ed Sheeran’s Favor In The Marvin Gaye Plagiarism Lawsuit Trial

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In recent days, Ed Sheeran has had a lot going on. One of the more annoying is surely the lawsuit he’s been facing from the heirs of Ed Townsend, a co-writer of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” In the suit, it is alleged that Sheeran stole elements of the song and used them in his own hit single, 2014’s “Thinking Out Loud.” Now, the trial has concluded and the jury has reached a ruling, The Associated Press reports: He didn’t do it.

Today (May 4), the New York jury shared their conclusion about if “Sheeran proved he didn’t infringe upon the copyright” and they took his side. When the verdict was delivered and the two-week trial came to a close, Sheeran “briefly put his hands over his face in relief before standing and hugging his lawyer.”

In a recent interview with Zane Lowe, Sheeran said, “The thing with these cases, it’s not usually songwriters that are suing songwriters. I feel like in the songwriting community, everyone sort of knows that there’s four chords primarily that are used and there’s eight notes. And we work with what we’ve got, with doing that.”

Sheeran was so frustrated by the lawsuit that he recently said of potentially being found guilty, “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.”

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Ed Sheeran Thinks He’d Have To ‘Be Quite An Idiot’ To Do What He’s Accused Of In The Marvin Gaye Plagiarism Case

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The legal battle between Ed Sheeran and Marvin Gaye’s team. Yesterday (April 25) in a New York courtroom, Sheeran defended his songwriting for his 2014 single, “Thinking Out Loud,” which Gaye’s team has alleged plagiarizes his song, “Let’s Get It On.”

In 2016, the heirs of Gaye’s co-writer on “Let’s Get It On,” Ed Townsend, filed a lawsuit against Sheeran, alleging that he and Amy Wadge, the co-writer of “Thinking Out Loud,” replicated an ascending four-chord sequence, as well as a rhythm.

Per The Guardian, Sheeran appeared in court and claimed that he and Wadge wrote the song taking inspiration from the love his grandparents shared.

Ben Crump, the plaintiff’s lawyer, then referred to a video of Sheeran performing a mashup of “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On” during one of his shows, calling the moment “a confession” of plagiarism.

Sheeran then replied, saying, “Most pop songs can fit over most pop songs… You could go from [The Beatles’] ‘Let it Be’ to [Bob Marley’s] ‘No Woman, No Cry’ and switch back.”

He continued, “If I had done what you’re accusing me of doing, I’d be quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that.”

Sheeran’s lawyer, Ilene S. Farkas, also argued, saying, “The two songs share versions of a similar and unprotectable chord progression that was freely available to all songwriters.”

However, Townsend’s daughter Kathryn Griffin Townsend, who appeared as a witness in the hearing, continued to fight. She lauded Sheeran’s craft, but noted that she intends to “protect [her] father’s legacy.”

The hearings are expected to continue throughout the week.

Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.