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.