Ed Sheeran faces trial for alleged plagiarism in his song Thinking Out Loud

A lawsuit against Ed Sheeran for allegedly stealing a section of Marvin Gaye’s song “Let’s Get It On” and using it in his song “Thinking Out Loud” has recently come to light.

The case was made in 2017 by the co-single’s author Ed Townsend’s heirs, and its major claim is that both songs have obvious common elements and striking similarities that violate copyright.

In contrast, the artist’s defense asserts that while there are similarities between the two songs, they are only because of a “similar chord progression” that any singer-songwriter can employ.

“The two songs share a similar unprotected chord progression. It has always been available to singer-songwriters,” they said at the time.

Although the initial steps were taken years ago, the court proceedings will only commence this week. It is anticipated that Ed Sheeran himself will testify regarding the accusations made against him.

The 95-year-old Judge Louis L. Stanton will preside over the trial, which will take place in federal court in Manhattan and is scheduled to last about a week.

It should be mentioned that ‘Let’s Get It On’ was one of Marvin Gaye’s biggest successes and was released in 1973. The song that made Ed Sheeran more well-known was “Thinking Out Loud,” which was published in 2014.

Ed Sheeran has already been the subject of a lawsuit for claimed plagiarism involving his song “Shape of You” in Great Britain; that trial, however, was overturned a year ago.