Ed Sheeran Appears In Court, Denies Copyright Allegations on Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”

Ed Sheeran took the stand on Tuesday (April 25) in a New York City court to confront copyright allegations made by heirs of Ed Townsend, Marvin Gaye’s co-writer on “Let’s Get It On.”

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The British singer was called to testify, as the family believes Sheeran’s single “Thinking Out Loud” has “striking similarities” and “overt common elements” to 1973 hit “Let’s Get It On.” According to BBC News, the heirs now demand money from Sheeran, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Publishing for allegedly copying the track.

Ben Crump, the lawyer representing Townsend’s family, opened the trial by comparing the two tracks and recalling a concert where Sheeran played the songs back-to-back. He dubbed the medley a “smoking gun,” reports BBC News.

Sheeran was quick to deny the allegations under oath and said that if he had copied “Let’s Get It On,” he would’ve been “an idiot to stand on stage in front of 20,000 people.”

“I feel like you didn’t want me to answer because you know that what I’m going to say is actually going to make quite a lot of sense. You could go from ‘Let It Be’ to ‘No Woman No Cry,’ and switch back,” added the vocalist using the Beatles and Bob Marley as examples.

Sheeran’s legal team continued to argue that the sounds incorporated in each song are common within pop music. Ilene Farkas, Sheeran’s lawyer, explained to the jury that the musical elements are free to use without penalty.

“No one owns basic musical building blocks,” said Farkas. “The two songs share versions of a similar and unprotectable [sic] chord progression that was freely available to all songwriters.”

CNN Business reported that another lawyer of Sheeran’s, Donald Zakarin, cross-examined Townsend’s daughter Kathryn Griffin – a listed plaintiff in the case. Zakarin mentioned that Sony Music Publishing sent “reports from two musicologists” to Griffin in 2015, proving that the common chord progression doesn’t clarify as copyright.

Griffin confessed that she never dissected a song besides “Thinking Out Loud.” She told the jurors that she brought Sheeran to court because she felt obligated to “protect” her “father’s legacy.”

This trial is expected to last a week. However, if the jury finds the platinum-selling artist liable for copyright infringement, the case will go to the next round.

“Thinking Out Loud” has caused Sheeran quite confusion since its release in 2014. Claims over the Jake Gosling-produced and Grammy-winning hit were brought forward in 2018 by an investment banker, David Pullman, and Structured Asset Sales – a company that obtained a percentage of Townsend’s worth of “Let’s Get It On.” They declared that the pop singer and co-writer Amy Wadge “copied and exploited, without authorization or credit.”

In the midst of the legal battle, the singer/songwriter is gearing up for his highly anticipated North America Tour.

(Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)

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