MAY 4, 2023:
NEW YORK (AP) — A jury has concluded that British singer Ed Sheeran’s hit song “Thinking Out Loud” didn’t copy key components of Marvin Gaye’s classic tune “Let’s Get It On.” The verdict Thursday (May 4, 2023) came after a two-week trial that featured a courtroom performance by Sheeran. The singer insisted that the copyright claim was a threat to all musicians who write their own songs. Sheeran was sued by the heirs of songwriter Ed Townsend, who created the 1973 soul classic with Gaye. When Sheeran heard the jury’s decision, he briefly put his hands over his face in relief before standing and hugging his lawyer.
APRIL 26, 2023:
NEW YORK (AP) — Ed Sheeran has taken the witness stand in a New York courtroom to deny allegations that his hit song “Thinking Out Loud” ripped off Marvin Gaye’s soul classic “Let’s Get It On.” The singer was called to testify Tuesday (April 25, 2023) in the civil trial by the heirs of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s co-writer on the 1973 soul classic. The family has accused the English star of violating their copyright. They say his 2014 hit bore striking similarities to the famed Gaye track. Earlier in the day, a lawyer for Townsend’s heirs told the jury Sheeran’s performance of the two songs together on stage was tantamount to “a confession.”
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