Ed Sheeran copyright claim for Grammy-winning hit rejected by Supreme Court
Pop singer and award-winning songwriter Ed Sheeran found himself caught up in a 'devastating' lawsuit yet again, as he was accused of stealing from a classic 1970s hit
Ed Sheeran is a hitmaker above all else, with countless number one songs and writing credits for the likes of Rihanna and One Direction, but his most recent success comes from a song he first released all the way back in 2014.
One of the pop star's biggest songs, Thinking Out Loud, came under fire for allegedly using the copyright melody from Marvin Gaye 's Let's Get It On. This case was brought forward by Structured Asset Sales (SAS), which owns a portion of the rights to the song.
Owner and investment banker David Pullman argued that the melody, harmony and rhythm were all copied by Sheeran. However, on July 16, the Supreme Court decided not to hear the case, keeping in place the lower court's decision that the singer was not liable in the copyright infringement lawsuit.
READ MORE: Ed Sheeran's bitter family rift as star faces backlash for 'identifying culturally' as Irish
It's not the first time the star celebrates such a victory, as this news follows his previous success in fighting a copyright lawsuit over the same song, but this time by the family of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the 70s song.
The family's accusations resulted in them seeking an eye-watering $100m (£73m) in damages from the star. Sheeran was angered by this and put his decision to fight the case down to the simple fact that he would not act as a "piggy bank" for "anyone to shake".
Thinking Out Loud is still one of the singer's biggest songs to date after spending more than two years in the UK charts. Not to mention, it racked up an impressive 4.8 million sales in the UK alone and went on to take home the Song of the Year award at the 2016 Grammys.
In 2023, this case was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton, who decided that the elements the 34-year-old was accused of stealing are far too common. Following the verdict at the time, Sheeran spoke outside of the courthouse and shared his disappointment in being questioned on his song-writing capabilities.
He said: "It's devastating to be accused of stealing someone else's song when we've put so much work into our livelihoods."
Speaking on the matter this week was his co-writer, Amy Wadge. In an interview on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, she shared that these copyright trials have "haunted" her for the last decade. Wadge further explained: "The absolute truth is that song changed my life. I didn't have a hit until I was 37, and that was the one.
"I was able to feel like I'd had a hit for a year, and then all of a sudden it felt like the wolves were surrounding me. It was incredibly frightening." She went on to say that the case's dismissal was a "huge relief" for the both of them.
Following on from the stress of the initial 2023 trial, both Wadge and Sheeran commemorated the event, commenting on how the pop star does best with a tattoo. The pair decided to get matching tattoos using a phrase one of the judges said in the trial: "independently created".
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