Ed Sheeran Wins Copyright Case Over ‘Shape of You’
Ed Sheeran has won the copyright case over ‘Shape of You!
A British High Court judge ruled in favor of Ed Sheeran on Wednesday that the singer-songwriter had not plagiarised the 2015 song ‘Oh Why’ by Sami Chokri.
In his ruling, Judge Antony Zacaroli said that Sheeran had neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied Chokri’s work. He added that there were similarities between the one-bar phrase in “Shape of You” and “Oh Why,” saying, “such similarities are only a starting point for a possible infringement” of copyright.
Zacaroli concluded after studying both songs, saying that there were “differences between the relevant parts of the songs, which provide compelling evidence that the ‘Oh I’ phrase” in “Shape of You “originated from sources other than ‘Oh Why.’”
Following the court’s ruling, Sheeran said “such baseless claims are way too common”.
In a video message shared on social media, a British musician said there was now a culture “where a claim is made with the idea that a settlement will be cheaper than taking it to court, even if there’s no basis for the claim”.
He added: “It’s damaging to the songwriting industry. There are only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music.
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‘Shape of You’ has been the UK’s best-selling song of 2017 in the UK and is the most-streamed ever song on Spotify.
