Ed Sheeran Found Not Guilty In Copyright Infringement Lawsuit

Ed Sheeran attends the Disney+ “Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All” New York screening at The Times Center on May 02, 2023 in New York City.

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Ed Sheeran won't be quitting music any time soon, as his copyright lawsuit has reached its verdict Thursday (May 4). Per CNN, the singer-songwriter was not found liable for copying Marvin Gaye's hit, "Let's Get It On."

Sheeran was accused by Structured Asset Sales. That company purchased a third of the shares of Gaye's song from the family of Ed Townsend in 2018. Townsend co-wrote “Let’s Get It On” with Marvin Gaye. The suit alleged that Sheeran’s hit 2014 song, "Thinking Out Loud," took elements directly from the 1973 song. The Manhattan jury determined that Sheeran did not wrongfully copy compositional elements or melodies from the song.

At one point during the course of the trial, Sheeran was asked what he would do if the court found “Thinking Out Loud” to be too similar to “Let’s Get It On.” He answered, “If that happens, I’m done. I’m stopping. I find it to be really insulting. I work really hard to be where I’m at.”

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Sheeran’s legal team and co-writer of the song had argued that the melodies are different. They said that the elements used in both songs are common in pop music. Amy Wadge, Sheeran’s co-writer for “Thinking Out Loud,” explained to jurors that the song’s tune sounded more like Van Morrison’s “Have I Told You Lately,” as it has the same chords in a different key. She also chimed in on the accusations, saying, “It was pretty devastating and pretty frightening because it’s something we did not do.”

The Grammy-winner said the creation of “Thinking Out Loud” was a “very collaborative” process between him and co-writer Wadge. He recalled being inspired to create the song after hearing Wadge “mumbling” the chords as he got ready to go to dinner and said he knew they needed to write a song to them. As for the lyrics, he said they were inspired by their personal struggles as Sheeran’s grandmother had been diagnosed with cancer, his “grandad” had died, and Wedge was going through a family illness.

Ed Sheeran’s 10 Best Lyrics That Warm (Or Break) Your Heart

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran knows how to make some of the saddest lines upbeat. His lyricism is top-tier, accompanied by his acoustic guitar and infectious pop melodies, and the Brit often strikes musical gold. Born Edward Christopher Sheeran on February 17, 1991, in England, he developed an interest in music at a very young age. He sang at a local church choir at the age of four. As we previously reported, Sheeran developed a stutter after undergoing surgery to remove a birthmark in his early years. He was gifted Eminem's The Marshall Mathers album as a kid by his uncle. The album helped him to grow out of it. When he was nine, his uncle told his dad his nephew would be "the next Bob Dylan." After learning the 2000 record and "rapping it back, to back, to back, to back," it cured his stutter.

Sheeran's Rise To Stardom

Gaining more confidence, Sheeran learned how to play the guitar and started writing songs when he was eleven. Two years later, at thirteen, Sheeran began recording music. He independently released his first collection of work, titled Spinning Man. In 2008, he moved to London, playing music in small venues and on the street. That same year, he auditioned for the ITV series Britannia High. Since the show's producers were looking for triple threats, Sheeran's dance skills proved to be highly uncoordinated, so he got cut. He wasn't too torn up about it, able to admit that everyone auditioning really wanted to be cast.

He released another EP in 2009, titled You Need Me. He and fellow English singer Leddra Chapman recorded covers with each other often, including CeeLo Green's "F--- You." In 2010, Sheeran released his critically acclaimed Loose Change EP, which featured his future debut single, "The A-Team."

With seven studio albums below his belt, see which of our favorite Ed Sheeran songs warms (or breaks) our hearts.

10. Drunk

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NEW YORK, NY - DECEMBER 08: Ed Sheeran performs at the Z100's Jingle Ball 2017 on December 8, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

9. The A Team

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PERTH, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 02: Ed Sheeran performs in concert on the opening night of his Australian tour at Optus Stadium on March 2, 2018 in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)