Ed Sheeran’s 'Thinking Out Loud' hits the right note in court win
Second Circuit upholds district court’s ruling that Ed Sheeran’s song does not infringe Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On | Song’s four-chord progression is a common musical structure not eligible for copyright protection | Decision focuses on the sheet music filed with US Copyright Office, rather than the recording.
If you don't have a login or your access has expired, you will need to purchase a subscription to gain access to this article, including all our online content.
For more information on individual annual subscriptions for full paid access and corporate subscription options please contact us.
To request a FREE 2-week trial subscription, please signup.
NOTE - this can take up to 48hrs to be approved.
For multi-user price options, or to check if your company has an existing subscription that we can add you to for FREE, please email Adrian Tapping at atapping@newtonmedia.co.uk
4 January 2019 A US judge has rejected Ed Sheeran’s request to dismiss a lawsuit which accuses him of copying parts of Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On”.
5 May 2023 Musician rails against “baseless claims”, emphasising that certain chords are part of every “songwriter’s toolkit” | Case marks the second time that Sheeran has beaten back copyright claims.
18 November 2024 Following the High Court’s long-awaited WaterRower decision, WIPR met with Rachel Pearse of Gunnercooke, part of the winning team, to explore what the “fascinating” case means for designers.