copyright process
Ed Sheeran defends himself: “Would be an idiot”
Ed Sheeran exits the 500 Pearl Court House in New York. The heirs of the US musician Ed Townsend, who died in 2003, raise Coyright allegations against the Briton. photo
© Mary Altaffer/AP/dpa
Did the singer copy a colleague? At least that’s what he’s accused of. Now he has commented on it himself.
British singer Ed Sheeran (32, “Bad Habits”) has denied allegations of alleged copyright infringement. As several English-language media outlets consistently report, the pop star said in his defence: “I think most pop songs are built on building blocks that have been freely available for hundreds of years.” He is said to have supported his statement by naming several songs that use the same chord sequences. Sheeran’s lawyers previously argued with the same reasoning.
Ed Townsend’s heirs, who died in 2003, accuse Sheeran of copying at least part of his song “Thinking Out Loud” from the song “Let’s Get It On,” which Townsend released with Marvin Gaye. According to the reports, the plaintiffs’ legal team also refers to a mash-up by Sheeran performed in 2014 in the evidence. The musician combined his song “Thinking Out Loud” with Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”. This fact is clearly demonstrated by the transcript.
Sheeran is said to have criticized the allegation: “If I had done what you accuse me of, I would be an idiot to get on stage in front of 20,000 people and do that.” He mixes the songs at many performances, according to the singer. “A lot of songs have similar chords. You can go from ‘Let It Be’ to ‘No Woman No Cry’.”