Ed Sheeran fans can breathe, the artist will not stop his career. The latter has indeed won his case in the lawsuit for plagiarism brought to him by the heirs of Ed Townsend.
He was on the verge of stopping his career.
Prosecuted for plagiarism, Ed Sheeran finally won his civil trial this Thursday, May 4 in New York (United States), thus ending an 8-year-long case that had seriously shaken him.
Accused of having plagiarized Marvin Gaye’s global hit « Let’s Get It On » in his song « Thinking Out Loud », the 32-year-old British singer said he was ready to give up music if he was found guilty of the facts. which he was accused of.
The native of Halifax, who had never ceased to denounce an unfair accusation, can therefore push a big sigh of relief.
In its verdict, the Manhattan federal court jury found that the artist had created his song » independently » and that therefore it was not a partial copy of the title « Let’s Get It On », released in 1973.
Having attended each of the hearings since the start of the trial on April 24, Ed Sheeran had even gone so far as to sing in court to prove his good faith.
He could not hide his relief at the statement of the verdict, rising in particular to thank the jury, while embracing his team which accompanied him, according to AFP.
Invited to comment on this decision, the singer said he was » happy » to have won his case against a complaint he considered » unfounded « .
As a reminder, the plaintiffs were heirs of Ed Townsend, American musician and producer (died in 2003) who co-wrote « Let’s Get It On » with music legend Marvin Gaye.
According to its owners, Ed Sheeran’s « Thinking Out Loud » had » striking similarities and clear commonalities » with the track.
But the court decided otherwise.
When he left the court, Ed Sheeran did not hide his satisfaction, while expressing his frustration at such accusations.
“ I am obviously very happy with the outcome of this case. It looks like I won’t have to retire from my day job after all. At the same time, I am incredibly frustrated that baseless complaints like this can be taken to court. We’ve spent the last eight years talking about two songs that have radically different lyrics and melodies and four different chords that are used by songwriters every day, all over the world, » he said . -he declares.
“ Unfortunately, unsubstantiated claims like this are fueled by people posing as experts in music analysis. In this case, the civil party’s expert”, who “created what I think has been proven by all to be misleading comparisons (…) I am very grateful to the jury for having perceived these attempts « , he added.
“ I’m just a guy with a guitar who likes to write music for people to enjoy. I am not and will never allow myself to be a piggy bank that anyone can shake. Being in New York for this trial prevented me from being with my family at my grandmother’s funeral in Ireland , ”he continued before thanking his team and his relatives.
And to conclude: “ We need songwriters and the whole musical community to unite and bring back some common sense. These complaints need to be put to rest so that the creative process can continue and we can all start making music again. At the same time, we absolutely need trusted people, real experts who help support the copyright protection process. I thank you ”.
Strong words.
This legal victory is the second in a year for Ed Sheeran, who had already been tried for plagiarism in April 2022 in London, following the complaint of two musicians who accused him of having copied one of their works on his hit « Shape Of You”.