Ed Sheeran Wins Marvin Gaye Copyright Case Appeal

Ed Sheeran has emerged victorious once again in his “Thinking Out Loud” copyright case.

On Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ruled that Sheeran’s hit did not infringe the copyright of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” citing that the songs share only the “fundamental musical building blocks”.

The original case — filed by Structured Asset Sales, a company that owns a small stake over Gaye’s song — argued that Sheeran copied a chord progression and rhythm from “Let’s Get It On.”

The appeals court said the lawsuit sought “a monopoly over a combination of two fundamental musical building blocks” and that “neither the melody nor the lyrics” bore “any resemblance” to “Let’s Get It On.”

The new ruling comes about a year after Sheeran was found not liable for copying the song following a lawsuit by Ed Townsend’s estate.

 

Nast, C. (2023, May 4). Ed Sheeran wins “Thinking out loud” copyright trial. Pitchfork. https://pitchfork.com/news/ed-sheeran-wins-thinking-out-loud-copyright-trial/