Five memorable moments in Ed Sheeran's copyright case as singer wins trial

04 May 2023 , 17:16
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Five memorable moments in Ed Sheeran
Five memorable moments in Ed Sheeran's copyright case as singer wins trial

Ed Sheeran has been accused of allegedly copying Marvin Gaye's iconic track Let's Get It On, with the singer attending a high profile New York copyright trial.

The British star, 32, was being sued by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who was the songwriter who originally wrote the popular 1973 track crooned by Marvin Gaye.

They claimed that Ed's hit Thinking Out Loud copied harmonic progressions and melodic and rhythmic elements without permission from the heirs.

The lawsuit was filed in 2017, with it taking six years to reach a verdict.

But on May 4, in New York, a Manhattan jury found the A Team singer not liable for copyright infringement.

Ed Sheeran says 'turbulent things' have happened in personal life in rare video qhiquqidzziqqrinvEd Sheeran says 'turbulent things' have happened in personal life in rare video

And with the verdict coming in and ruling in favour of Ed, Mirror Online takes a look at the most memorable moments from the trial that took place in Manhattan.

Ed Sheeran said he would QUIT music if he lost

On May 1, Ed said that if he was found guilty by the jury for copying the track, he would quit music for good.

"If that happens, I'm done, I'm stopping," the singer said when he was asked by his attorney Ilene Farkas about how the trial impacted upon him.

The hitmaker added: "I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it."

Woman COLLAPSING on day three

On day three of the trial, Kathryn Townsend Griffin, one of the heirs suing the singer, caused chaos in the court house when she collapsed on day three of the trial.

Stretchered out of Manhattan Federal Court in New York, Kathryn was helped up by several people, but ended up needing to be stretchered out of the court house.

Reports at the time said that she received medical attention during court proceedings, which then led to her being carried out.

It is also reported that Kathryn's lawyer did not disclose the reason that she collapsed, but said that she had a pre-existing medical condition.

Five memorable moments in Ed Sheeran's copyright case as singer wins trialA Manhattan jury found Ed Sheeran not liable for copyright infringement (Getty Images)

Forced to MISS grandmother's funeral

On May 3, Ed was reportedly forced to miss his grandmother's funeral due to his copyright trial.

The Shape Of You hitmaker's grandmother Anne ‘Nancy’ Sheeran was laid to rest in Ireland on Wednesday (May 3) after she passed away aged 98.

Ed Sheeran and wife Cherry's sweet romance from teen crush to health updateEd Sheeran and wife Cherry's sweet romance from teen crush to health update

Ed's grandmother passed away at the Gardens Nursing Home Enniscorthy in Wexford, with the funeral held at St Patrick’s Church Monaseed Gorey.

The singer's father, John, told mourners that Ed wasn’t in the church because he had to “defend his integrity” in his court case in New York.

“I am very sad that our son Edward is unable to be here today. He’s so upset that he cannot be present,” Ed's father said.

Plays GUITAR and PERFORMS on witness stand

In court during the trial, Ed's lawyer asked him how he came up with the song Thinking Out Loud.

Ever the musical, Ed whipped out his guitar and gave the courtroom a performance where he started playing the instrument to demonstrate how he came up with the lyrics and the chord progression.

Demonstrating how his songwriting works, he started playing the chords of the popular song and sung: "I'm singing out now" which soon transformed to "I'm thinking out loud".

He said: "When I write melodies, it's like phonetics.

"...When inspiration hits, you get excited, and it just comes out."

Jury bursts into LAUGHTER in courthouse

Manhattan Federal Court saw laughter inside the courtroom on April 27 after a plaintiff musicology expert, Dr Alexander Stewart, played an AI recording of Marvin Gaye's hit song.

The robotic voice sang: "Giving yourself to me, can never be wrong," with every syllable crisply stated, according to Business Insider.

Reports say that Ed attempted to conceal his grin while other people in the room laughed.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on baby," the voice continued, without the usual groove fans are used to.

Mollie Quirk

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