British singer, Ed Sheeran, has appeared in a New York federal courtroom on Tuesday, 25th April, 2023, over a copyright infringement case that alleges his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” was sourced from the 1973 Marvin Gaye classic “Let’s Get it On.”
Sheeran, along with Sony and others, were sued in 2017 by the heirs of the late songwriter Ed Townsend, who wrote the soul hit that was later recorded by Gaye. They alleged that Sheeran’s 2014 song “Thinking Out Loud” copied harmonic progressions, melodic and rhythmic elements from “Let’s Get It On” without permission.
According to reports, Kathryn Griffin Townsend, his daughter and only living direct heir, is the plaintiff leading the civil trial.
During questioning from the plaintiff’s legal team, Sheeran argued that many pop songs share similar chord progressions, and that his decision to do a mash-up of “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get it On” at a 2014 concert was not the hard evidence that Kathryn’s attorney Ben Crump claimed it was.
He believes that most pop songs are built on building blocks that have been freely available for hundreds of years.
Story: Folashade Akinola