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Ed Sheeran Music Copyright Case - Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" Lawsuit
In a trial that sounds like a mix of Ed Sheeran music copyright case, "Thinking Out Loud" and Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," jurors will be chosen and opening statements will be made today. The heirs of Ed Townsend, the songwriter who wrote the song with Gaye, have sued the British act.
James K.Apr 26, 20232 Shares333 Views
In a trial that sounds like a mix of Ed Sheeran music copyright case, "Thinking Out Loud" and Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," jurors will be chosen and opening statements will be made today. The heirs of Ed Townsend, the songwriter who wrote the song with Gaye, have sued the British act. They say that Sheeran's 2014 song "Thinking Out Loud" stole musical and rhythmic parts from "Let's Get It On" without getting permission.
"Thinking Out Loud" is one of Sheeran's most famous songs. When it came out, it went straight to number one in 11 countries. It's been watched more than a billion times on YouTube, so it makes a lot of money from ads.
Ed Sheeran Music Copyright Case
Jury selection today in Ed Sheeran's copyright infringement lawsuit
Ed Sheeran, a famous musician, went to court in Manhattan on Monday to face charges of copyright violation. He is being sued because his song, "Thinking Out Loud," is said to sound like the famous Marvin Gaye song, "Let's Get It On."
The jury for the case against Sheeran was chosen on Monday. The relatives of Ed Townsend, who wrote the 1973 soul hit "Let's Get It On" with Marvin Gaye, say that Sheeran copied the song. The jury will go back to the Manhattan federal court on Tuesday morning, which is when the trial is set to start. Sheeran is also likely to give a statement at the hearing.
The case that was filed in 2017 is finally going to trial, which will take place in Manhattan in front of 95-year-old Judge Louis Stanton. The trial is expected to last a week. Sheeran is one of the people who are likely to appear.
Even though the jury will probably hear the recordings of both songs many times, the words and vibes of the songs are not important in a legal sense. Jurors are only meant to look at the melody, harmony, and rhythm that make up Let's Get It On, which is written down on sheet music filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office.
The claim said that Mr. Sheeran has played the two songs together live as a medley and "seamlessly" changed from one to the other. Mr. Sheeran has said that any similarities between the songs come from "building blocks" of music that can't be protected by copyright.
If the jury decides that Mr. Sheeran is guilty of copyright infringement, a second hearing will be held in Manhattan to decide how much he and his labels should pay. The first trial should go on for about a week.
In a court statement, Mr. Gaye's heirs said that Mr. Townsend gave them 22% of the writer's share of the song that Mr. Gaye wrote. David Pullman's Structured Asset Sales LLC, which owns a third of Townsend's rights to the song and is run by investment banker and "Bowie Bonds" creator David Pullman, has filed two lawsuits against Mr. Sheeran that are linked to each other.
In a different copyright case, Mr. Sheeran won a trial in London last year. The case was about his hit song "Shape of You." In 2015, Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams' song "Blurred Lines" was found not to be a copy of Marvin Gaye's "Got to Give It Up." This was a big win for Mr. Gaye's family.
Sheeran's team hired musicologist Lawrence Ferrara, who found that at least 13 songs before "Let's Get It On" used the same chord pattern. In April 2017, Sheeran won another copyright case after being accused of copying Sami Chokri's 2015 song "Oh Why" in his song "Shape of You."
Conclusion
This week, British pop singer Ed Sheeran music copyright case will begin. This case could make the law even more complicated for musicians. The jury for the case against Sheeran was chosen on Monday. The relatives of Ed Townsend, who wrote the 1973 soul hit "Let's Get It On" with Marvin Gaye, say that Sheeran copied the song.
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