Ed Sheeran copyright claim rejected by US Supreme Court
The US Supreme Court has rejected a bid to revive a copyright claim against Ed Sheeran over his 2014 hit song Thinking Out Loud.
The pop star was accused of copying the melody, harmonies and rhythm of Marvin Gaye's 1973 classic Let's Get It On.
The British singer had already won a copyright case after a 2023 trial into whether he had plagiarised the Motown star.
However, the Supreme Court has now declined to hear an appeal by Structured Asset Sales, which is owned by investment banker David Pullman and has copyright interests in the Gaye song.
The decision has brought an end to a decade-long legal battle.
Amy Wadge, who co-wrote the song with Sheeran, said she was 'very relieved'.
'Ten long years it has been, so to get that ruling is an incredible relief,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
'Song changed my life'
Wadge, 49, said despite the victory in 2023 the decision kept getting appealed.
'I always knew there was someone else who was trying to substantiate the same thing,' she said. 'It has just rolled on, but yes it's done.'
She said the possibility of losing the case had 'haunted' her, adding: 'The absolute truth is that song changed my life.
'I didn't have a hit until I was 37. Then I was able to feel like I'd had a hit for a year and then all of a sudden it felt like the walls were surrounding.
'It was incredibly frightening. Had we lost that case, I could have effectively lost everything.
'I just knew that had they been successful it really would have caused a huge issue for creativity in general.'
Heirs of songwriter Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the song with Gaye, claimed 34-year-old Sheeran had used substantial chunks of the older song.
Sheeran had threatened to abandon the music industry if he lost the case.
During his defence, the Grammy-winning artist played the opening chords to Thinking Out Loud and sang the first few lines to the New York jury.
After the jury ruled in his favour, Sheeran said outside court: 'It's devastating to be accused of stealing someone else's song when we've put so much work into our livelihoods.'
In 2022, a High Court judge in London ruled that Sheeran had not plagiarised a 2015 song by grime artist Sami Switch when he wrote his 2017 hit, Shape of You.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Ed Sheeran's copyright lawsuit might actually be over after a decade
Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud lawsuit drama may finally be coming to an end after years of court cases since the bop was released 11 years ago. The soft rock hit Thinking Out Loud from Sheeran's second studio album X was released in 2014. If you think you haven't heard it, you're wrong. The song has a stronghold at every wedding to take place in Britain, Ireland, and the US, since its release and was on every mainstream radio station at least once a day for two years after its launch. The song was such a massive success that when music journalists compared it to Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On, copyright lawsuits came in guns blazing. In the latest update on June 16, the Supreme Court announced that it would not be taking on a copyright case, which accused Sheeran's song of infringing upon Gaye's copyright. The court did not detail why they decided not to take the case, but it could have something to do with the numerous outcomes in other lower courts that Sheeran has won. The first suit levelled at Sheeran was in 2016 when the daughter of Ed Townsend, the man who co-wrote the Gaye song in 1973. The case ended in 2017 with Sheeran being cleared and avoiding millions in possible copyright fees, avoiding the fate of Pharrell and Robin Thicke, who paid a hefty fine after their Blurred Lines track was deemed too similar to Gaye's Got To Give It Up. The second lawsuit came in 2018 from Structured Asset Sales (SAS), which is estimated to have an 11% ownership stake in Gaye's music. The case was heard in 2023 and resulted in Sheeran winning the case again. Speaking outside the court in 2023, Sheeran commented: 'We spent the past eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords which are also different and used by songwriters every day all over the world.' He added: 'These chords 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. 'They are in a songwriter's alphabet, our toolkit, and should be there for all of us to use. No one owns them or the way they are played, in the same way nobody owns the colour blue.' The 2023 victory was, of course, appealed, but led to this Supreme Court dismissal in June 2025. In a fun twist to the relentless story, a separate case SAS may now go to the federal court. In a statement to Billboard, SAS owner and industry executive David Pullman said that the separate case 'will now go forward'. 'Defendants' fear has always been the sound recording of 'Let's Get It On',' Pullman said. 'The U.S. Supreme Court was aware of this and understands that the case will go forward and may very well be back at the U.S. Supreme Court at a later date.' However, the idea of yet another case has been firmly rejected by Sheeran's lawyer. Sheeran's attorney, Donald Zakarin, has dismissed the suggestion that the case can be revived and emphasised that Sheeran and his co-writer Amy Wadge, created the song independently. 'Pullman's completely unauthorised and improper purported registration of the Marvin Gaye recording of 'Let's Get It On,' 50 years after it was created, will not change that fact,' Zakarin told Billboard. 'If he truly believed that the second case he filed was so compelling – which it is not – he would not have spent the last two years pursuing his failed first case.' Amy Wadge, who co-wrote the song, has spoken about her relief at the decade-long back-and-forth finally, seemingly, coming to an end. 'Ten long years it has been, so to get that ruling is an incredible relief,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. 'It has just rolled on, but yes, it's done.' The singer was open about how the financial loss of a negative outcome could have ruined her. 'The absolute truth is that song changed my life. I didn't have a hit until I was 37. Then I was able to feel like I'd had a hit for a year and then all of a sudden it felt like the walls were surrounding. 'It was incredibly frightening. Had we lost that case, I could have effectively lost everything. More Trending 'I just knew that had they been successful, it really would have caused a huge issue for creativity in general.' The music video of Thinking Out Loud was released a decade ago and as of February 2025, has garnered 3.8 billion streams on YouTube. The song was the first to ever spend an entire year in the UK Top 40 and is one of the most-streamed songs on Spotify. Despite its incredible success, it is actually Sheeran's second most successful song ever, behind the 2017 hit Shape of You. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Steps narrowly missed out on Glastonbury legends slot for devastating reason MORE: Liam Gallagher hits back after Oasis fans branded 'fat, drunk and rowdy' MORE: 'Secret Glastonbury performers' celebrate UK number 1 album weeks before festival
Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Furious Hyrox competitors claim new carpet for world championships sled push this weekend 'sucked' and 'slowed them down'
Furious Hyrox competitors have cursed the carpet at a World Championships sled push race saying the floor on one 'dodgy' lane slowed them down. Competitors at the esteemed fitness competition complained this year's event in Chicago 'sucked' after organisers deployed new turf for the first time. Videos uploaded by athletes on social media showed them shouting angrily as they attempt to push a block of weights - to no avail. One racer, Ray Shah, demonstrated his slow progress on lane three before zooming down another aisle with an identical block of weights to prove his point. He complained on Instagram: 'How is this fair at the World Championships where they were using the new turf/carpet for the first time. 'This turf was to make sleds from it! 'It's disappointing when you train so hard for you to get a dodgy lane. 'My race today was ruined as the sled just wouldn't move when I got to sled push, I got through it but at a huge cost to energy. 'Hyrox needs to do better, looking like amateur hour.' The Hyrox event sees fitness fanatics complete a gruelling workout regime against the clock; while also providing the perfect backdrop for influencers to take selfies for social media. Hyrox combines running and functional workout stations, where participants, including celebrity clientele like Zoe Hague and Love Island's Molly Smith, run 1km, followed by a functional workout station, repeated eight times. Responding to Mr Shah's video, one person said: 'They will improve over time but this was quite a mistake.' But the fitness fanatic replied saying the event was 'eight years old' and so 'not exactly new'. Another person said: 'Hyrox needs to realise how much people spend to get here... the qualifying race, the travel, the hotels, the world's goes on and on. 'This is major time off, training time, financial output for everyone. 'This is insanely unfair to everyone participating.' Another competitor, Holly Archer, also shared a post. She said: 'Well!!! That was brutal, but also bloody brilliant! 'Going to get it out and say it like everyone else! F*** those carpets!!!! 'We got lane three on the sled push.. and seeing a lot of people struggle on that lane, we had a different lane for the pull and that was wayyy easier. 'I could not move the sled push in one direction. We were a minute slower on that station and that's normally my best station. They later barricaded the first five lanes off which is honestly really disappointing.' Responding to Ms Archer, fellow athlete Jonny Glen said: 'Congrats Holly! The sleds well and truly sucked.' Another competitor, Todd, said: 'We'll make sure we stay clear of lane three tomorrow!' Mr Archer responded to confirm 'faulty' lanes had now been shut. The Hyrox competition, which launched in Germany in 2017, bills itself as the fastest-growing of its kind in the world, with events now spanning across 11 countries, including the UK, America, and Shanghai. It has become a social media sensation since its inception eight years ago, with more than 650,000 athletes now taking part in 84 competitions across 25 countries. Participants alternate between eight one-kilometre runs and eight functional workout stations: 1000m of SkiErg, 50m of sled push, 50m of sled pull, 80m of burpee broad jumps, 1000m of rowing, 200m of farmer's carry, 100m of sandbag lunges and 100 wall balls. But despite building up an army of formidable spandex clad supporters raving about the fitness cult, a glamorous marketing campaign, and thousands of TikToks filmed at the event, there is also an unspoken downside. Attendees have suffered from heart attacks, seizures, and panic attacks during or shortly after taking part - but, as such medical emergencies don't make for appealing social media content, they are often glossed over in TikTok clips and Instagram reels. This means many people remain unaware of the potentially harmful consequences.
The Independent
2 hours ago
- The Independent
Rod Stewart reveals pre-show ritual ahead of Glastonbury set
Rod Stewart has revealed he gargles rum and coke before every performance, a ritual he has maintained for 40 years to protect his vocal cords. Stewart, 80, will perform in the Legends Slot on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival this June. In May, Stewart was seen wearing a sign around his neck that said 'Sorry. Cannot talk. Having vocal rest'. He explained he uses this method to recover his voice when needed. Stewart wants a minimal rider for his Glastonbury performance, requesting only wine and crisps. Stewart, who had to cancel shows in January due to strep throat and Covid-19, is scheduled for a 90-minute set at Glastonbury on 29 June.
