How Did Ed Sheeran Won His 'Thinking Out Loud' Copyright Infringement Trial?

After two weeks of grueling trial in Manhattan, New York, Ed Sheeran is now enjoying the triumph of winning his most recent Copyright Infringement lawsuit against his song "Thinking Out Loud."

Heirs of Ed Townsend, a co-writer on Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," sued the crooner for allegedly ripping the 2014 song from the 1973 hit.

How Did Ed Sheeran Win His 'Thinking Out Loud' Copyright Trial?

In a statement to the press, Ed Sheeran announced that he had won the copyright infringement trial he has been battling for since 2016.

According to the lawsuit, Sheeran copied the "heart" of the song and repeated it continuously throughout the song "Thinking Out Loud." The complaint also says that the "melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic compositions" of the 2014 song were "substantially and strikingly similar to the drum composition of "Let's Get It On."

During the trial last week, Musicologist Alex Stewart described the songs to "sound very, very similar" in his opinion, even noting that the songs shared 70% musical value after comparing them.

Sheeran has since described Stewart's statements as "criminal," saying that he found Stewart's description of the song "insulting."

Apart from repeatedly refuting that he copied the song, Sheeran proved the song again by serenading the courtroom as he performed an acoustic version of the song. He also performed songs from Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, and Van Morrison to demonstrate how the same four-chord sequence that Townsend points out to be similar to the two songs can be found in many pop songs throughout music history because of how popular it was.

At the height of the trial, Sheeran even ominously warned that should he lose the trial, he would be quitting music.

Ed Sheeran Wins Copyright Infringement Trial

In a lengthy statement announcing his glorious win, Ed Sheeran emphasized how "unbelievably frustrated" he was because of the baseless claims.

The jury, after three hours of deliberations, ruled that Ed Sheeran did not copy Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On" as he "independently created" "Thinking Out Loud" in 2014.

"These chords are common building blocks which were used to create music long before 'Let's Get It On' was written, and will be used to make music long after we're gone," he continued.

As of this writing, Ed Townsend's heirs have not given a statement about their loss.

Watch Ed Sheeran's full statement below:

Tags

Ed Sheeran, Marvin Gaye, Lawsuit