The music copyright trial involving British singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran has gone to the jury after the closely watched case in which he was accused of copying Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On for his Grammy-winning ballad Thinking Out Loud.
British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is facing trial in a New York City court in the United States for an alleged copyright violation in connection with his 2014 hit song Think Out Loud. According to a Reuters report Ed Sheeran’s lawyers on Wednesday submitted before the jury at the Manhattan federal court that there was "not a single shred of evidence" to contradict testimony by Sheeran and his co-writer Amy Wadge, who told jurors they wrote Thinking Out Loud based on their own experiences.
The case, brought by the family of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote Let's Get It On, alleges that Sheeran's song is a "theft" and a copy of the classic hit. The case outcome is keenly watched by the music industry, as Sheeran has already faced a series of copyright infringement allegations in recent years.
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According to a New York Times report, during the trial, Sheeran testified that he wrote Thinking Out Loud independently with Amy Wadge, in a quick songwriting session in February 2014. He denied copying Let's Get It On. The jury saw a mash-up video during the trial, which showed Sheeran move seamlessly between Thinking Out Loud and Let's Get It On at a live show. Sheeran claimed that the limited harmonic range of popular pop songs allows him to routinely perform these medleys live.
Sheeran responded to the testimony of an expert witness hired by the plaintiffs, who claimed that one of the four chords played in the beginning of Thinking Out Loud was similar to the minor chord found in the same position in the progression of Let's Get It On. Sheeran played the major chord he has used in "every single gig" and then, with a slight grimace, played the minor chord suggested by the expert. Sheeran noted that the minor chord worked well for him, but denied that it was the truth, the report added.
During the closing arguments, both sides' attorneys criticised each other's case and emphasised the broader implications of the lawsuit for the music industry.
Sheeran’s Ilene Farkas cautioned that a victory for the plaintiffs could have severe implications for the music industry, as it would eliminate "an indispensable component of every songwriter's arsenal," which could result in stifling creativity out of fear of being sued. Rice countered Farkas's argument, emphasising that the plaintiffs had presented substantial evidence in support of their case and that the jurors should not be swayed by Sheeran's celebrity status.
In recent years, the British singer-songwriter has faced several lawsuits over allegations of copyright infringement. In 2018, two songwriters claimed that Sheeran's hit Photograph was lifted from their own song, Amazing. Again in 2019, a lawsuit was filed accusing Sheeran of copying elements of the Marvin Gaye song Got to Give It Up for his song Shape of You.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the singer said that he would “not continue his music career if he is found guilty of copyright violation”, according to a People report.
“If that happens, I'm done, I'm stopping,” Sheeran said.
American soul singer and songwriter Marvin Gaye, who died in 1984, collaborated with Townsend, to write “Let's Get It On. The song topped the Billboard charts in 1973, according to Reuters. On the other hand, Thinking Out Loud peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
