A jury ruled today that English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was not liable in a case in which he was accused of copying music chords from Marvin Gaye’s classic “Let’s Get It On” in his 2014 hit song “Thinking Out Loud.”
Following the verdict announcement, Sheeran stood up and hugged his team before mouthing “thank you” to the jury.
Outside the courthouse, Sheeran spoke to the press but did not answer questions.
The “Shape of You” singer-songwriter said he’s happy about “not having to retire from [his] day job” after saying he would stop writing music if he lost the trial.
“If that happens, I’m done — I’m stopping,” he previously said in court.
Sheeran is “grateful the jury saw through the attempts” to show “misleading comparisons” made by the plaintiff’s experts between the two songs, finding “similarities where none exist.”
“It’s devastating to be accused of stealing someone else’s song,” Sheeran noted, adding, “We need songwriters and the writing community to come together to bring back common sense” and use “trusted individuals” as music experts so the “creative process can carry on.”
The verdict tops off a trial in which the popular musician took the stand himself to blast the lawsuit, describing it as “frustrating” and “insulting” because he “works hard” to write his own music.
It took jurors 2 hours and 30 minutes to reach their decision.
