Ed Sheeran takes the stand in court after being accused of copying Marvin Gaye song
Far away from his Castle On The Hill, Ed Sheeran took the stand in a New York court room to defend himself against accusations that he's ripped off Marvin Gaye.
The thought of the cheeky British pop star stealing from another artist might give you Shivers, but copyright infringement is more than just a Bad Habit - it's a serious accusation that has to be addressed.
Far from saying 'I Don't Care', Sheeran took the stand in New York for the civil trial led by Kathryn Townsend Griffin, the daughter of Ed Townsend, who worked with Gaye's on his 1973 hit, 'Let's Get It On'.
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Don't worry, I'll stop with the song titles... for now.
The lawsuit claims Sheeran, his label Warner Music Group, and music publisher Sony Music Publishing owe Townsend's heirs a share of his profits for allegedly copying the song for Sheeran's own popular track, 'Thinking Out Loud'.
The song is accused of sharing 'striking similarities' to 'Let’s Get It On', as well as 'overt common elements' that violate their copyright.
Sheeran, 32, faced questions from lawyer Keisha Rice and was asked about another of his songs, 'Take It Back', in which he sings the words 'plagiarism is hidden'.
Sheeran attempted to defend himself as he responded: "Those are my lyrics, yep. Can I give some context to them?"
However, Rice didn't give him the chance as said if she needed more context, she would ask for it.
Rice also presented Sheeran with a video clip of a live show in which he made a medley out of 'Thinking Out Loud' and 'Let's Get It On', which fellow lawyer Ben Crump had previously described as a 'smoking gun' in the case.
Sheeran argued that he sometimes made medleys out of songs with similar chords at his gigs, but when cut off by Rice he said: "I feel like you don't want me to answer because you know that what I'm going to say is actually going to make quite a lot of sense."
Meanwhile, Sheeran's lawyer Ilene Farkas has argued that the two songs are distinct, and that plaintiffs should not be allowed to 'monopolise' a chord progression and melody.
In an earlier court filing, Sheeran's lawyers claimed: "The two songs share versions of a similar and unprotectable [sic] chord progression that was freely available to all songwriters."
Sheeran used other artists to attempt to prove his point, saying: "You could go from 'Let it Be' to 'No Woman, No Cry' and switch back.
"If I had done what you're accusing me of doing, I'd be a quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that."
Should Sheeran be found liable for copyright infringement, the trial will move into a second phase which will determine how much he and the labels owe in damages.
One thing's for sure... I'm sure Sheeran will be Happier when this is all behind him.
LADbible has contacted representatives for Sheeran, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Publishing for comment.
Topics: Ed Sheeran, Music, Celebrity, US News, UK News
Emily Brown