Ed Sheeran Not Guilty At The Copyright Trial

Jury Found Ed Sheeran Not Guilty At The Copyright Trial: Ed Sheeran‘s copyright trial gained a hue as the musician has threatened to quit music if he loses the case. The trial revolves around accusations of copyright infringement, claiming that ED Sheeran copied some parts of his song “Thinking Out Loud” from Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend’s “Let’s Get It On”, and both are now deceased.

Well, The heirs of Ed Townsend are behind the copyright case which demands that Ed Sheeran share earnings from his song with them. The lawsuit was filed in 2017, three years after ED Sheeran released the song, and only made it to the Manhattan court recently, where it was heard by a jury. Ed Sheeran and his lawyers refute the claims of plagiarism, insisting that his song used expressions common in many pop tracks.

The jury ruled that Ed Sheeran did not steal elements of Marvin Gaye‘s “Let’s Get It On” for his hit song “Thinking Out Loud”. Ed Sheeran joked that he would not have to quit music.

What Does The Jury Have To Consider?

Throughout the trial period, the jury listened to the recordings of both songs.
However, their lyrics were legally insignificant.
This was because jurors were asked to consider the raw elements of melody, harmony, and rhythm that made up the composition of Let’s Get It On.
What Was The Evidence Against Sheeran?

In the copyright case against Ed Sheeran, lawyers for the heirs of Ed Townsend played a video of Sheeran performing a medley of “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On” on stage back in 2014.

The video aimed to support their allegation that Ed Sheeran and his music companies Warner Music Group and Sony Music Publishing owed them profits for copying the song.

Watch the video below:

A lawyer for Kathryn Townsend Griffin, Townsend’s heir, Ben Crump, told jurors claiming that the merging of the two songs was tantamount to “a confession”.