Ed Sheeran's lawyer says copyright case should never have been bought to court in closing arguments
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Ed Sheeran's plagiarism trial has finally come to an end, with the jury now set to deliberate.
It's taken six years for the case to reach a courtroom, with Marvin Gaye's heirs filing a suit against the British musician in 2017.
They claim that Sheeran blatantly copied the singer's 1973 track 'Let's Get It On' when he wrote his hit single 'Thinking Out Loud'.
Kathryn Townsend Griffin, the daughter of Ed Townsend, who worked with Gaye on the song, has been arguing that there are 'striking similarities' between the two songs, as well as 'overt common elements' that violate their copyright.
Sheeran has been consistent throughout the case that he has done nothing wrong, and that lots of tunes share certain characteristics, but that doesn't mean there's been any plagiarism.
And in her closing argument, the singer's attorney, Ilene S Farkas, said the trial should 'never have been brought' in the first place.
She told the court: “Ed Townsend did not create these basic musical building blocks.
"Ed Townsend was not the first songwriter to use and combine these elements. It was not original."
Griffin's team had argued during the trial that they had a 'smoking gun' that would prove their case.
The evidence they were referring to was a video of Sheeran performing a mash up of 'Thinking Out Loud' and 'Let’s Get It On' at a concert.
Explaining the video, Sheeran told the court when giving evidence that it was just something he did with loads of tracks.
"I mash up songs at lots of gigs," he said. "Many songs have similar chords. You can go from 'Let It Be' to 'No Woman No Cry' and switch back.
"And quite frankly, if I'd done what you're accusing me of doing, I'd be quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that."
Referring to the argument, Farkas said during her closing statement: "Simply put, the plaintiffs’ smoking gun was shooting blanks."
The decision is now left up to the jury, who will return later today (4 May) to deliberate.
But if the case goes against him, Sheeran said he would call it a day on his career.
"If that happens, I'm done, I'm stopping," he told his lawyer.
"I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it."
Featured Image Credit: Edna Leshowitz/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock
Topics: Ed Sheeran, Music, UK News, Celebrity
