Ed Sheeran says he knows what swayed the jury in ruling that he didn’t plagiarise song
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Ed Sheeran has shared what he believes to be the moment the jury in his recent copyright infringement trial decided to rule in his favour.
Sheeran had been accused of plagiarism over his Grammy-winning 2014 song 'Thinking Out Loud' and its alleged resemblance to Marvin Gaye's classic hit 'Let's Get It On'. You can see him talking about the trial here:
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Sheeran had been sued by the heirs of the late Ed Townsend who co-wrote Gaye's 1973 track.
But on 4 May Sheeran won the case, which was being heard at a court in Manhattan, New York.
In a statement outside the courthouse, he said: "It's devastating to be accused of stealing someone else's song when we've put so much work into our livelihoods.
"I'm just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I am not and never will allow myself to be a piggy bank for anyone to shake."
During the trial, Sheeran said that if he lost he’d quit the music industry for good.
Referencing that threat, he continued: "It looks like I’m not going to have to give up my day job after all.
"But at the same time I am absolutely frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all.
"If the jury had decided this matter the other way we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters."
Sheeran spoke about the trial during a recent appearance on Good Morning America, where he shared what he believes to have been the pivotal moment.
When asked what he thought won the jury over, he said: “One hundred and one songs with the same chord sequence - and that was just scratching the surface.
“It was very quick to see that and think ‘oh yeah, that’s not original’.”
During his trial, Sheeran took to the stand with his guitar to illustrate to the court how common the four-chord progression was.
Asked about his performance in court, he said: "I'd been wanting to do it [play guitar in court] for ages since it came out, but you have to do due diligence in court.
"So I just waited and knew that I would have my day to explain it and didn't rush anything."
Although he won the case, Sheeran lamented not being able to attend his late grandmother’s funeral, which he missed as it took place in Ireland while he was in the US.
"I will never get that time back,” the singer said.
Featured Image Credit: GMA
Topics: Ed Sheeran, Music
