Ed Sheeran has won the copyright infringement case, which he had previously claimed might mean the end of his musical career. After a two-week trial in Manhattan, the jury found that the Grammy-winning songwriter did not plagiarize Marvin Gaye’s 1973 soul classic “Let’s Get It On”.
The lawsuit was filed in 2017 by the estate of the song’s co-writer, Ed Townsend, who claimed that the earlier song and Sheeran’s 2014 hit, “Thinking Out Loud,” had “striking similarities”.
The jury decided at 1 p.m. after three hours of deliberation. According to the New York Times on Thursday, Sheeran and his writing partner Amy Wadge came to the conclusion that they independently created the song and did not violate any copyright.
The co-authors are reported to have hugged after the decision was announced. Suit over chord progression The plaintiff alleged that the chord progressions used in “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On” were similar. According to their expert witness Alexander Stewart, the chords were “virtually identical”.
Sheeran and Wadge claimed in court testimony that they were simply using the chords to create a distinctive song and that the song’s progression was a very common one. Wadge stated during her testimony that it was “not possible” for her to have violated the rights to another song because all she was doing was playing some simple chords she was already familiar with.
Stewart’s actions were criticized by Sheeran, who said, “I think what he’s doing here is criminal”.
“I don’t understand why he’s allowed to be in a position of authority. Sheeran allegedly played the chords along with several other songs’ beats to demonstrate how common the progression is.
Sheeran endured a lot of personal stress and missed his grandmother’s funeral as a result of the lawsuit. Because of the court case, which also jeopardized his reputation and career, he was forced to miss his grandmother’s funeral in Ireland this week. The eulogy for the 98-year-old was delivered on Wednesday, and Sheeran’s father John, according to the Daily Mail, expressed his regret that his son Edward couldn’t make it. He is furious because he can’t go. Thousands of miles must separate him from his appearance in an American court to defend his integrity. ”.
The album [Subtract] is coming out on Friday, I start my tour on Saturday, my grandmother’s funeral is [Wednesday], [and] I’m still in this court case,” Sheeran explained to Gayle King, per ET. “This week, for me at the moment, I have the documentary coming out, the album [Subtract] coming out, [and] I’m still in this court case.”. It’s just another stage of life where things are happening. is not a guarantee that 2023 will be a failure. The most difficult times in your life always end at midnight. If found guilty, Sheeran would be “done” with music because, if the plaintiffs’ case had been successful, it might have prompted a flurry of legal actions against musicians who employed similar chord progressions. Earlier this week, when talking about his own case, Mr. Dot Sheeran said he would even think about giving up music if he lost.
Sheeran asserts, “If that occurs, I’m finished; I’m stopping”.
I find it to be extremely offensive.
I put a lot of effort into getting where I am. One of the most well-known recent cases also involved the music of the late Marvin Gaye: following a five-year legal battle over the popular song “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams agreed to pay $5 million to Gaye’s estate, which claimed that the songs had striking similarities to two of Gaye’s songs.
Sheeran has also engaged in legal disputes of his own in the past; last year, he won a UK copyright infringement case involving the song “Shape of You”.
At the time, Sheeran denounced “baseless” legal actions taken against musicians. He declared, “I’m not an entity, I’m not a corporation, I’m a human being.”. “I’m a son, a husband, and a father. Since lawsuits are not enjoyable, I hope that this decision means that similar future frivolous claims can be avoided. Simply put, this has to stop”.
This victory is good news for musicians everywhere because having a similar chord progression does not amount to plagiarism. Congratulations to Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge on winning this legal dispute, according to Denis Makarenko of Shutterstock.com. If you like Ed Sheeran, tell your friends about this article.
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