English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has taken the stand in a New York court to defend himself against a copyright infringement lawsuit. The estate of Ed Townsend, co-writer of the 1973 Marvin Gaye hit “Let’s Get It On,” is accusing Sheeran of stealing material from the song to write his own hit “Thinking Out Loud.”
In a recent testimony, Sheeran called the allegations “really insulting” and stated that the chord progression in question is a “common progression” used in several songs. When asked about the outcome of the case, Sheeran hinted at potentially retiring from the music industry, stating, “If that happens, I’m done, I’m stopping.”
Sheeran’s co-writer, Amy Wage, also took the stand, calling the infringement allegations “devastating” and “frightening.” Wage testified that she never formally learned how to play guitar and used the same chord progression in another song.
Sheeran won a similar lawsuit in the UK last year over his song “Shape of You” and spoke out against the “damaging” trend of lawsuits against mainstream artists.
This latest lawsuit, filed in 2017, claims that “Thinking Out Loud” contains “striking similarities” and “overt common elements” to “Let’s Get It On” that violate copyright law. The outcome of the case remains to be seen, but Sheeran’s statements have sparked conversations about the impact of copyright infringement lawsuits on the music industry.
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Article by Shane Mariano for Static Live Magazine.
