Well, it seems that the drama ended with this case… After a few days of court sessions, the authorities determined that Ed Sheeran was acquitted of the lawsuit in which he They accused him of allegedly plagiarizing a song by Marvin Gaye.
The verdict was announced this Thursday, May 4, after the resolution issued by a jury in Manhattan. The songs in question are “Thinking Out Loud” by the British composer, and “Let’s Get It On” by the idol of the Motown Sound he composed with Ed Townsend.
Ed Sheeran is acquitted of the lawsuit for alleged plagiarism of Marvin Gaye
Released in 2014, “Thinking Out Loud” is one of Ed Sheeran’s most recognizable songs.. However, a few years after its release, the song led to its composer facing charges for allegedly copying elements from an earlier song: the aforementioned “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye.
The accusation in court came from the family of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote that song with the legendary soul icon. The outcome of the story? well like we saidEd Sheeran was acquitted of the lawsuit for alleged plagiarism; the New York jury came to the conclusion that the British did not copy elements of Gaye’s song.
As Deadline mentions, the Townsend family’s accusation was based on the fact that the chord pattern of “Thinking Out Loud” is quite similar to that of “Let’s Get It On”. The rhythm of both songs and the use of various melodies was also handled on demand.
Ed Sheeran’s defense in the lawsuit for alleged plagiarism of Marvin Gaye, claimed all these years that the melodies were different. But above all, it was established that the chord progression and other elements of Sheeran’s song, are very common in pop music.
One of the important points that was demonstrated is that the chord pattern of Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” (released in 1973), they had already been used in compositions by other artists prior to that same song.
Ed Sheeran and Ed Townsend’s family came to good terms
The case of Ed Sheeran and the claim for alleged plagiarism against Marvin Gaye was not only resolved in favor of the British musician. It was also on good terms, according to what various media indicate. Ed and Kathryn Townsend Griffin (Ed Townsend’s daughter) chatted after the May 4 session and hugged, CNN mentions.
Griffin mentioned when leaving the courts that she is happy that the case has been closed amicably and even, said that Sheeran invited her to one of his upcoming concerts. For his part, the “Thinking Out Loud” singer issued this statement after the last court session:
“We spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords that are also different and are used every day by songwriters around the world. These chords are common building blocks that were used to make music long before “Let’s Get It On” was written and will be used to make music long after we’re all gone. They’re in a composer’s alphabet, our toolkit, and they should be there for all of us to use. No one owns them or the way they play, in the same way no one owns the color blue.
Ed Sheeran after the last session in court (via Deadline)
