Ed Sheeran wins US copyright trial against his song Thinking Out Loud
Sheeran had said he would give up his music career if found guilty at the the trial in New York.
Ed Sheeran has won the US copyright trial against his song Thinking Out Loud!
The jury at the Manhattan court gave the verdict in favour of British singer-songwriter on Thursday that Ed Sheeran’s 2014 hit Thinking Out Loud did not unlawfully copy from Marvin Gaye’s classic 1973 song Let’s Get It On.
The verdict was announced after six days of trial and less than three hours of jury deliberations.
The verdict found him not liable for copyright infringement, in the Manhattan federal court in New York City on a charge that he plagiarised the Marvin Gaye ’70s hit ‘Lets Get It On’ for his own ‘Thinking Out Loud’.
As reported, the jury had officially begun deliberations after closing arguments on Wednesday evening, although, as it was after 5 p.m., the judge held them just long enough for a get-acquainted session before sending them home for the night.
U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton had sent the Manhattan jury into deliberations with a pointed admonition: “Independent creation is a complete defence, no matter how similar that song is.”
“It’s devastating to be accused of stealing someone else’s song when we’ve put so much work into our livelihoods,” Sheeran said outside the courthouse following the verdict.
“I want to thank the jury for making the decision that will help protect the creative process for songwriters here in the United States and all around the world,” Sheeran added.
Kathryn Townsend Griffin, the daughter of Gaye’s co-writer Ed Townsend, accused Ed Sheeran of copyright infringement.
Last year, Sheeran won a trial in London in a separate copyright case over his hit Shape of You.
