Stolen by Marvin Gaye?: Ed Sheeran must go back to court
The contents in the “archives” were created and posted by the previous owners of this website. We are not responsible for any misleading or incorrect content that is posted here.
Stolen by Marvin Gaye?
Ed Sheeran is back in court
30/09/2022, 10:24 am
Did Ed Sheeran Convict Marvin Gaye For His Hit ‘Thinking Out Loud’? The singer is now being accused of this in a trial. Prosecutors are demanding $100 million from the 31-year-old singer. He denies the allegations.
Music star Ed Sheeran faces a grand jury over charges of taking portions of his 2014 song “Thinking Out Loud” from Marvin Gaye’s 1972 classic “Let’s Get It On.” As Billboard reports, the federal judge has dismissed the motion of the singer-songwriter rejected to dismiss the case, which has been going on since 2018.
The parties that filed the ‘Thinking Out Loud’ lawsuit and who co-own the Gaye song are now claiming $100 million in damages from the British musician. However, Sheeran’s lawyers are contesting the lawsuit, saying the alleged stolen portions of the song are “common” and therefore do not justify copyright infringement. According to the report, Judge Louis Stanton ordered Sheeran to appear in federal court in Manhattan, he ruled Thursday.
Elements “everyday and unprotectable”
The lawsuit was initially filed, alleging that 31-year-old Sheeran had stolen a chord progression and harmonic rhythm from the American soul and R&B singer’s song. Sheeran’s prosecutors have since modified their allegations, agreeing with the 31-year-old’s lawyers that the song’s elements are “general and unprotectable.” However, they argue that the combination of these makes them unique to Gaye – and therefore protected by copyright.
Sheeran has faced several similar cases in the past. A dispute over “Photograph” was settled out of court. A lawsuit over “The Rest of Our Life” was dismissed at Sheeran’s request. Recently, the singer won a case alleging that he had plagiarized “Shape of You”. Shortly after the verdict, Sheeran released a video statement expressing how these cases “really hurt the songwriting industry”.
He continued: “While we are of course happy with the outcome, I think such lawsuits are far too common these days and we have developed a culture of going to court with the idea that a settlement is cheaper than going to court, even if the claim is unfounded.”
