Ed Sheeran news – live: Singer releases new album Subtract after winning Marvin Gaye lawsuit
Singer had been fighting a lawsuit in New York after being accused of plagiarising Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ for his 2014 single ‘Thinking Out Loud’
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Ed Sheeran has released his new album Subtract, just hours after winning his latest copyright lawsuit.
A Manhattan jury found on Thursday 4 May that the British singer-songwriter did not plagiarise Marvin Gaye’s 1973 song “Let’s Get It On” for his 2014 single “Thinking Out Loud”.
Sheeran had been sued by the heirs of Ed Townsend, the songwriter who composed the slow jam classic with Gaye.
They accused Sheeran’s song of copying the anthem’s harmonic progressions as well as melodic and rhythmic elements without permission.
In a defiant statement after the verdict, Sheeran said he would not “allow myself to be a piggy bank”.
The lawsuit was initially filed in 2017, but took six years to finally reach a Manhattan federal court.
Sheeran vehemently denied plagiarising “Let’s Get It On”. His lawyers argued that the song used common constructions found in many pop tracks.
He told the court earlier this week that, should he lose, he planned on quitting music.
Read The Independent’s review of Subract here.
Ed Sheeran review, Subtract: Aaron Dessner collaboration proves that less is definitely more
Ed Sheeran wins Marvin Gaye ‘Thinking Out Loud’ plagiarism case: ‘I’m not going to have to give up my day job’
‘I will never allow myself to be a piggy bank’: Ed Sheeran shares defiant message after copyright trial win
Video: Listen to Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud' side-by-side to Marvin Gaye track
How much was Sheeran sued for?
Damages in the case were unspecified, though the family said they were interested in “all of the money that is generated from the distribution and any other exploitation” of Sheeran’s track, according to PA.
Video: Ed Sheeran shares statement after Marvin Gaye copyright trial win
Sheeran’s statement in full
Sheeran gave a lengthy statement about protecting the rights of songwriters following his not liable verdict.
You can read it in full below:
“I’m obviously very happy with the outcome of the case. It looks like I’m not having to retire from my day job after all. At the same time, I’m unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all. We’ve spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords, which are also different and are used by songwriters every day, all over the world. 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 are all gone. They are in a songwriter’s alphabet, our toolkit, and should be there for all of us to use. No one owns them or the way they’re played in the same way no one owns the colour blue. Unfortunately, unfounded claims like this are being fuelled by individuals who are offered as music experts in musical analysis. In this instance, the other side’s musicologist left out words and notes; presented different and simple pictures as melodies and by doing so, created what I think we proved for all to see were misleading comparisons and disinformation to find supposed similarities where none exist, and I think we proved for all to see that they tried to manipulate my and Amy’s song to try and convince the jury that they had a genuine claim. I’m very grateful that the jury saw through those attempts. This seems so dangerous to me: both potential claimants who may be convinced to bring a bogus claim as well as those songwriters facing them. It’s simply wrong. By stopping this practice, we can also properly support genuine music copyright claims so legitimate claims are rightly heard and resolved. If the jury had decided this matter the other way, we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters. We need to be able to write our original music and engage in independent creation without worrying at every step of the way that such creativity will be wrongly called into question. Like artists everywhere, Amy and I work hard to independently create songs, which are often based around real-life, personal experience. It’s devastating to be accused of stealing someone else’s song when we’ve put so much work into our livelihoods. I’m just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I am not and will never allow myself to be a piggy bank for someone to shake. Having to be in New York for this trial has meant that I’ve missed being with my family at my grandmother’s funeral in Ireland and I will never get that time back. These trials take a significant toll on everyone involved, including Katherine. I want to thank the jury for making the decision that will help protect the creative process of songwriters here in the United States and all around the world. I also want to thank my team who have supported me throughout this difficult process and to all the songwriters, musicians and fans who’ve reached out with messages of support over the last few weeks. Finally, I would like to thank Amy. Neither of us expected that nine years ago from our wonderful writing session we would have to be here defending our integrity. Amy, I feel so lucky to have you in my life. Thank you. We need songwriters and the wider community to come together and bring back common sense. These claims need to be stopped so the creative process can carry on and we can all go back to making music. At the same time, we absolutely need trusted individuals, real experts who help support the process of protecting copyright. Thank you.”
Sheeran touches on having to miss his grandmother’s funeral for the trial: “I will never get that time back.”
Sheeran gives statement
“It looks like I’m not going to have to give up my day job after all,” singer tells press outside the courtroom.
Ed Sheeran wins Marvin Gaye ‘Thinking Out Loud’ plagiarism case
The verdict is in.
British singer was accused of ripping off Gaye’s 1973 classic, ‘Let’s Get It On’
Sheeran missed grandmother’s funeral in Ireland yesterday due to trial
Sheeran’s grandmother’s funeral took place in Ireland today. The singer’s father confirmed that his son had to miss the occasion to attend his ongoing trial in New York.
“I am very sad that our son Edward is unable to be here today. He’s so upset that he cannot be present,” he said.
Read more:
‘Our son Edward... has to be thousands of miles away in a court in America defending his integrity,’ father said during eulogy
The lawyers are back in the courthouse
Good morning/afternoon/evening, everyone. The jurors have commenced their deliberations and a verdict is expected soon. The plaintiff’s lawyers are reportedly in court but no one from the defence (Sheeran’s team) yet.
We’ll keep you updated with the latest here.
Everything you need to know about the trial so far
While we’re waiting for the imminent verdict, expected to be delivered today, catch up on a brief of the case here:
Singer in court this week to defend himself over claims he stole from the most famous R&B anthem of all time
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