Ed Sheeran Must Face Copyright Lawsuit in Court

Ed Sheeran had asked the court to dismiss one of three lawsuits accusing him of plagarizing his 2014 smash “Thinking Out Loud” from Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On. On Tuesday March 30th, a US judge rejected that request. The judge, however, did delay the suit because of the "significant overlap" with another one from the same plaintiff.

There are three lawsuits against Sheeran regarding his song "Thinking Out Loud" allegedly lifting from the song "Let's Get it On".

Here's a quick summary:

1. Ed Townsend was the co-writer of the Marvin Gaye classic. Structured Asset Sales LLC, which owns one-third of Townsend’s estate, is suing Sheeran, Sony Music Publishing and other defendants over its April 2020 copyright registration for a studio recording of the song. This is the suit that the judge has delayed.
2. Structured Asset Sales LLC is also suing Sheeran over a 1973 copyright based only on sheet music for "Let's Get it On", and filed as a “deposit copy” with the U.S. Copyright Office.
3. Ed Townsend’s heirs are suing Sheeran over “Thinking Out Loud” as well. No trial date has been set.

Want to compare the two songs?

Here's a helpful video:

Title Image: Ed Sheeran "Thinking Out Loud" Screen Shot / YouTube