Ed Sheeran sued again for copying 1973 American hit

NEW YORK, June 30 — English singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran was sued on Thursday for 100 million U.S. dollars for allegedly copying parts of a 1973 American hit named “Let’s Get It On.”
Structured Asset Sales LLC, a company that owns one-third of the copyright of “Let’s Get It On,” claims that Sheeran’s hit song “Thinking Out Loud” copies large parts of music legend Marvin Gaye’s classic.
According to the lawsuit, Sheeran’s smash hit copies “the melody, rhythms, harmonies, drums, bass line, backing chorus, tempo, syncopation and looping” from Gaye’s song.
It is not the first time that Sheeran faces legal actions over his songs.
In 2016, the heirs of American songwriter Edward Townsend sued Sheeran over the same track.
Townsend co-wrote the 1973 classic with Marvin Gaye, an American singer, songwriter and record producer who died in 1984. The song hit No. 1 in September 1973.
Sheeran has also faced infringement claims over other songs, including “Photograph” and “Shape of You.”
Ed Sheeran, a 27-year-old English singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer, released the song “Thinking out loud” in 2014. It peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 2015, and later won Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 2016.

Xinhua