The plaintiffs accused Sheeran of copyright infringement, saying that their clients were not claiming to own basic musical elements but rather “the way in which these common elements were uniquely combined.” However, the defense argued that these were basic musical building blocks that songwriters must be free to use.
The case is one of several copyright battles Sheeran has faced in recent years. Last year, he won a copyright battle at the High Court in London over his 2017 hit “Shape of You.”
He also faces claims over “Thinking Out Loud” from a company owned by investment banker David Pullman that holds copyright interests in the Gaye song.
In 2015, Gaye’s heirs won a $5.3 million judgment from a lawsuit claiming that the Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams song “Blurred Lines” copied Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” Despite very few similarities in the songs, Pullman’s group won the case.
The ruling in favor of Sheeran is a victory for songwriters and their creative freedom. It sets a precedent for future cases where plaintiffs may try to claim copyright infringement based on similarities in basic musical building blocks.
