Ed Sheeran sued by Let's Get It On songwriter's heirs
The heirs of Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On songwriting partner are suing Ed Sheeran for allegedly ripping off the soul classic.
Ed Townsend's heirs claim the Brit stole the melody, harmony and rhythm compositions from the 1973 hit for his tune Thinking Out Loud.
It's not the first time Sheeran has been attacked for allegedly
stealing segments of another song - Martin Harrington and Thomas
Leonard, and bosses at their publishing company HaloSongs, claimed
the star copied their 2009 single Amazing, which became a 2010 hit
for The X Factor winner Matt Cardle, when he was recording his tune
Photograph.
Co-writer Johnny McDaid and executives at Sony/ATV Songs and Warner
Music are also named in the June (16) suit, which suggested the
songs' similarities "reach the very essence of the work."
Lawyers for the plaintiffs argued, "The similarities go beyond
substantial, which is itself sufficient to establish copyright
infringement, and are in fact striking. The similarity of words,
vocal style, vocal melody, melody, and rhythm are clear indicators,
among other things, that Photograph copies Amazing."
Harrington and Leonard are seeking $20 million plus statutory
damages and either an injunction or a running royalty.
The latest lawsuit comes with some weight - Gaye's heirs
successfully sued Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke last year (15)
after accusing the hitmakers of ripping off their father's Got To
Give It Up in the hit song Blurred Lines.
Nona and Frankie Gaye were victorious in their court battle, and
after a jury trial, they were awarded a slice of a $7.4 million
verdict. Williams and Thicke are still appealing the decision.