UNITED STATES: A big win for the British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, as he defeated a second copyright lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan over the rising similarities between “Thinking Out Loud” and Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.”
Thus, U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton dismissed the case brought by Structured Asset Sales LLC. Sheeran won a separate jury trial over the songs in the same court in the recent past. This is the second time the pop singer has proved his mettle to the world by winning a similar Lawsuit.
Judge Stanton, while passing the judgment, wrote, “It is an unassailable reality that the chord progression and harmonic rhythm in ‘Let’s Get It On’ are so commonplace, in isolation and in combination, that to protect their combination would give ‘Let’s Get It On’ an impermissible monopoly over a basic musical building block.”
The verdict came after the heirs of Ed Townsend sued the 32-year-old pop sensation who collaborated with singer Marvin Gaye to release the classic ‘Let’s Get It On’. As per the accusation, there were striking similarities which is a sheer violation of copyright.
Sheeran, during a post-trial, said, “These chords are typical building blocks that were used to produce music long before ‘Let’s Get It On’ and will continue to be used to create music long after we’re gone.
He added,“They are part of a songwriter’s alphabet, our toolset, and should be available to all of us. Nobody owns them or the way they are played, just as no one owns the colour blue.”
He had earlier also stated that if the jury does find him guilty, he will leave the profession of music. However, the judgment was passed in his favour.
Also Read: Taylor Swift’s Midnights: Singer’s Musical Magic Dominates Billboard Hot 100
