2023-04-21 20:55:04
The similarity of two famous songs has caused a music star to stand trial.
Jury selection begins Monday in Manhattan federal court, preparing for a trial over allegations that British pop star Ed Sheeran owes a share of the profits from his hit song “Thinking Out Loud” for copies of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.”.
The estate of Ed Townsend, the songwriter, filed a lawsuit against Sheeran, Warner Music Group, and record label Sony Music Publishing, for allegedly plagiarizing the classic Jay song that Townsend co-wrote..
The trial is the first of three that Sheeran may face over the similarities between the two hit songs.
Warner Music Group, Sony Music Publishing and attorneys for the companies did not respond to requests for comment..
Marvin Gaye collaborated with Townsend to write the song “Let’s Get It On,” which topped the Billboard charts in 1973.
Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” ranked second on the 2015 Billboard Hot 100..
Townsend’s estate sued Sheeran for copyright infringement in 2017, alleging that his song copied the “core” of Jay’s song, including its melody, harmonies and rhythm..
But Sheeran argued that any similarities between the two songs are the basic unprotected musical “building blocks”..
And if the jury finds that Sheeran violated intellectual property rights, the Manhattan court will hold another trial to determine the amount that he and the producing companies must pay. The first trial is expected to last about a week.
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