Ed Sheeran – live: Singer testifies in Marvin Gaye plagiarism court case

Ed Sheeran is appearing in a New York court this week, to defend himself against accusations that he stole elements of Marvin Gaye’s 1973 slow jam, “Let’s Get It On” and used them in his own hit single.

The British singer-songwriter, 32, has been sued by the heirs of Ed Townsend, the songwriter who composed the classic anthem with Gaye. They have alleged that Sheeran’s 2014 song “Thinking Out Loud” copied harmonic progressions, melodic and rhythmic elements from “Let’s Get It On” without permission.

“Thinking Out Loud” is one of Sheeran’s most popular tracks and has been played more than a billion times on YouTube and so its advertising revenue is huge.

Jury selection for the trial, delayed by the pandemic, began on Monday 24 April and Sheeran is expected to testify this week. The lawsuit was originally filed in 2017 and it has taken six years to reach Manhattan federal court.

What is Thinking Out Loud about?

14:00 , Nicole Vassell

Though “Thinking Out Loud” is now a favourite for countless couples around the world, its origins can be traced back to the love story of one singular pair – Ed Sheeran’s grandparents.

Written by Sheeran and Amy Wadge, the wedding reception modern standard is about holding on to romance throughout a long life.

During his court appearance on Tuesday (25 April), Sheeran stated that he and Wadge wrote the song after Sheeran was inspired by seeing the affection between his aged grandparents.

How Ed Sheeran responded after winning 2022 copyright lawsuit

13:30 , Nicole Vassell

Only last year, Ed Sheeran was in court defending his 2017 smash hit, “Shape of You”.

The British singer-songwriter and his co-writers, Johnny McDaid of Snow Patrol, and producer Steven McCutcheon (Steve Mac), had denied copying parts of Sami Chokri’s 2015 track, “Oh Why”, for the song from Sheeran’s chart-topping third album, Divide.

After a judge ruled that Sheeran and co didn’t copy from Chokri’s song, Sheeran, McDaid and McCutcheon released a joint statement on the impact of the trial.

“There is a cost on our mental health,” they wrote. “The stress this causes on all sides is immense. It affects so many aspects of our everyday lives and the lives of our families and friends. We are not corporations. We are not entities. We are human beings.”

Read more below:

Ed Sheeran wins copyright trial over hit song Shape of You

WATCH: Ed Sheeran leaves court after the first day of copyright trial

13:00 , Nicole Vassell

What has Ed Sheeran said so far?

12:30 , Nicole Vassell

Lawyers acting on behalf of the family of Ed Townsend, the producer and songwriter behind “Let’s Get it On”, claim that Ed Sheeran copied a repeated four-chord progression from Marvin Gaye’s song for his own.

They claim a video, in which the British vocalist mixes “Thinking Out Loud” with Gaye’s track, is evidence of duplication.

However, Sheeran’s legal team argue many songs often only involve a select few chords, which is why performing songs in combined mashup form is an easy prospect.

“Most pop songs can fit over most pop songs,” Sheeran said on Tuesday (25 April). “I’m just mashing up a song with another song.”

Ed Sheeran’s new track ‘Boat’ is a metaphor for depression

12:00 , Nicole Vassell

Outside of the legal dispute over “Thinking Out Loud”, Ed Sheeran has new music that is packed with emotion.

Ahead of the release of his forthcoming album Subtract, the singer has released a track called “Boat”, which stands as a metaphor for his experience with depression.

Read more here:

Ed Sheeran’s new track ‘Boat’ is a metaphor for depression

What have the lawyers said?

11:30 , Roisin O'Connor

In their lawsuit, lawyers representing Townsend’s heirs referenced a magazine article about Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams infringing the copyright of the Gaye song “Got to Give It Up” in the stars’ 2013 single “Blurred Lines”. The article, published in Spin, stated that “Blurred Lines” was “not nearly as egregious a steal as… Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’”, which it calld “an incredibly obvious successor” to Gaye’s track.

Sheeran denies plagiarising “Let’s Get It On”. His lawyers have argued that when he and co-writer Amy Wadge composed the song in February 2014, at Sheeran’s Suffolk home, they used some of the same constructions found in many other songs.

“The two songs share versions of a similar and unprotectable chord progression that was freely available to all songwriters,” they said in a court filing.

Lawyer claims singer’s live Marvin Gaye mash-up is ‘smoking gun’

11:00 , Roisin O'Connor

A lawyer for the heirs of Marvin Gaye’s co-writer told jurors he has “smoking gun” proof that Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” copied elements of Gaye’s soul classic “Let’s Get It On.”

The British artist appeared in court in New York on Tuesday (25 April) as lawyers for the plaintiffs and defence shared opening statements.

Full story:

Lawyer claims Ed Sheeran’s live Marvin Gaye mashup is ‘smoking gun’ in copyright case

Everything you need to know about Marvin Gaye plagiarism case

10:24 , Roisin O'Connor

Ed Sheeran will appear in a New York court this week, where he will defend himself against accusations that elements of one of his best-known tracks were stolen from Marvin Gaye’s 1973 slow jam classic “Let’s Get It On”.

Here’s what you need to know:

Everything you need to know about Ed Sheeran’s latest copyright trial