Ed Sheeran wins 'Thinking Out Loud' US copyright trial
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Elated Ed Sheeran
British pop phenom Ed Sheeran expressed joy and relief after a US jury found he did not plagiarize Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On' in composing his hit 'Thinking Out Loud'.
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2014 song
The English musician hugged his team inside a Manhattan federal courtroom after jurors ruled that he had 'independently' created his 2014 song. Outside, he told reporters he was 'very happy' but 'unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this' even make it to trial.
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Civil lawsuit
The civil lawsuit was filed by heirs of Gaye co-writer Ed Townsend, who alleged that harmonic progressions and rhythmic elements of Sheeran's song were lifted without permission from the classic made famous by Gaye. The heirs sought a share of the profits from Sheeran's hit.
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Copyright law
The jurors spent some three hours deliberating whether Sheeran's song and Gaye's classic are substantially similar and if their common elements are protected by copyright law. Sheeran spent days testifying with guitar in hand, playing demos for the court to prove the 1-3-4-5 chord progression in question is a basic building block of pop music that can't be owned.
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Co-writer
The 32-year-old said he writes most of his songs in a day, and said he co-wrote 'Thinking Out Loud' with singer-songwriter Amy Wadge, a regular creative collaborator.
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The decision
Sheeran had claimed that he would quit the industry, if found guilty. The decision will boost Sheeran's career because both his new album and a Disney+ documentary series are being released this week.