Ed Sheeran, accused of copying parts of 2017 hit 'Shape of You', wins copyright battle in UK court

British singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran has won a copyright battle over his popular track ‘Shape of You’. A UK court on Wednesday ruled that the singer has not plagiarised the 2015 track ‘Oh Why’ by Sami Chokri.

Chokri, a grime artist, had claimed that the hook line ‘Oh I’ from Sheeran’s track was strikingly similar to his line ‘Oh Why’ in his own track. Sheeran singer had earlier said that he did not remember hearing ‘Oh Why’ until the legal case.

According to a BBC report, Judge Antony Zacaroli ruled that Sheeran had "neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied" Chokri's song. ‘Shape of You’ was the UK’s best-selling track of 2017 and has been Spotify’s one of the most streamed tracks ever.


The 31-year-old British pop star’s 2017 hit track ‘Shape of You’ has been among the most played tracks worldwide inspiring numerous TikTok videos and Instagram Reels. However, ever since the beginning of the year, the track has been mired in a legal controversy.
Sami Chokri and producer Ross O’Donoghue took Sheeran to court in 2018 alleging that 'Shape of You' has taken its hook from their song 'Oh Why'. Along with Sheeran, two of his co-writers Johnny McDaid and Steve Mac were also accused in the case.

Chokri, who performs under the name Sami Switch, had claimed that Sheeran’s track infringed 'particular lines and phrases' of his track and is 'strikingly similar'. Following the accusation, all three Sheeran, McDaid, and Mac had denied the claim. Upon being questioned by Chokri’s lawyer, Sheeran had said that he was unaware of Chokri and that he had never heard of the song before.
The hook line and its melodic progression bear a striking resemblance to Chokri's track and this was claimed by forensic musicologists from his side. However, Sheeran and his side have maintained that the similar-sounding hook line was 'entirely commonplace' as the melodic structure was common.