Ed Sheeran has denied the accusation that his number one song 'Thinking Our Loud' features "substantial similarities" to Marvin Gaye's classic hit 'Let's Get It On.'
Is it District Judge Louis Stanton's belief that a jury should decide the fate of Ed Sheeran's legal battle. The estate of the late Ed Townsend, who co-wrote 'Let's Get It On' with Gaye, has actioned the legal case against Sheeran and Sony/ATV Music Publishing, and Atlantic Records.
Judge Stanton said that he found "substantial similarities between several of the two works' musical elements."
For comparison, here's a handy video that compares the songs one after the other in the first 30 seconds.
Ed Sheeran has denied the allegations, and has asked for the legal action to be stopped. Judge Stanton has denied clearing the singer/songwriter; he has instead insisted that the problem be left for a US jury to decide.
This is the second such legal battle surrounding these two songs. Last year Structured Asset Sales, who owns a stake in Gaye's song, launched a $100 million case which is still ongoing. Judge Stanton is also overseeing this court case; he believes that both songs' "aesthetic appeal" is very similar.
Sheeran and his record companies have yet to respond to this new ruling. In 2018, Sheeran settled a $20 million case against him for his song 'Photograph.' And in 2017, Sheeran was forced to credit the writers of 'No Scrubs' as co-writers for his song 'Shape of You.'
It was recently revealed that Ed Sheeran was the highest paid musician in the world in 2018, thanks to his songwriting, and worldwide tour.
Via BBC News.
