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
(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!
[Via]