Another Landmark Victory for Ed Sheeran in Copyright Infringement Case

Ed Sheeran is no stranger to copyright claims.

Only last year, he successfully fended off a copyright infringement claim brought against his song Shape Of You.

This time, Ed was required to appear in a Manhattan courtroom to defend allegations of copyright infringement against his Grammy award-winning song Thinking Out Loud.

The infringement claim was brought by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote 'Let's Get It On' with Marvin Gaye.

The heirs alleged that Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud copied harmonic progressions and melodic and rhythmic elements from Let's Get It On without permission.

Although this case is subject to US copyright law which differs from UK copyright law, it is a case that the global entertainment industry has closely watched, and we have therefore discussed some of the highlights of the case and the final decision below.

After almost two weeks of court hearings, the Manhattan jury ruled unanimously that the British superstar was not liable for copyright infringement.

In his statement after winning the trial, Sheeran said that he was "unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all" and that "the chords used to create his song are common building blocks, which were used to create music long before 'Let's Get It On' was written and will be used to make music long after we are all gone".

The music industry was eagerly awaiting the outcome of this case as infringement claims of this nature have continued to rise over the past ten years.

Such claims have involved questions of how much or how little of the work of songwriters can be protected by copyright and how vulnerable they are to legal challenges. 

Although this decision was not decided per UK copyright law, it demonstrates that such infringement cases have become part and parcel of life as an artist and demonstrates the importance of obtaining adequate legal representation to defend against such claims.