The copyright infringement lawsuit that Ed Sheeran claimed may spell the end of his musical career has been resolved in his favor.

The jury determined following a two-week trial in Manhattan that the Grammy-winning songwriter did not copy Marvin Gaye’s 1973 soul smash “Let’s Get It On.”

The estate of the song’s co-writer, Ed Townsend, brought the complaint in 2017, claiming that “striking similarities” existed between the earlier song and Sheeran’s 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud.”

According to the New York Times, the jury deliberated for three hours before reaching a decision at 1 pm on Thursday, concluding that Sheeran and his writing partner Amy Wadge independently developed the song and did not violate any copyrights.

After the verdict was announced, the co-authors are said to have hugged.

The plaintiff claimed that “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On” used similar chord progressions. According to their expert witness Alexander Stewart, the chords employed were “virtually identical.”

However, Sheeran and Wadge claimed during their testimony before the court that they were merely using the chords to create an independent song. It was a typical progression used in many songs.

“I was just playing some simple chords that I knew how to play,” Wadge claimed in court, adding that it was “not possible” for her to have plagiarized another music.

Sheeran referred to Stewart’s actions as “criminal here,” adding, “I think what he’s doing is.” “I don’t understand why he is permitted to have expertise.”

To show how common the progression is, Sheeran reportedly also performed the chords to the beats of several other songs.

Sheeran experienced a huge deal of stress as a result of the case. He was compelled to skip his grandmother’s funeral in Ireland this week because of the court battle, which endangered his career and reputation.

According to the Daily Mail, Sheeran’s father, John, delivered the eulogy for the 98-year-old on Wednesday. “I’m very sad that our son, Edward, cannot be here today,” John remarked. He is quite disappointed over missing the event. To defend his integrity in court, he must travel thousands of miles.

My grandmother’s burial is on Wednesday, I start my tour on Saturday, I have the documentary coming out this week, and I’m still involved in this legal battle, Sheeran said to Gayle King, according to ET.

It’s simply another stage of life when things are happening. Does not imply that 2023 is a loss. Your worst days always come to an end at midnight.

Professional musicians had been wary of the case because a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs might have sparked a wave of lawsuits against musicians who used identical chord progressions.

Speaking about his lawsuit earlier this week, Mr. Sheeran declared that he would even consider quitting music if he lost.

Sheeran told People, “If that happens, I’m done, I’m stopping.” “I think it’s incredibly offensive. I put a lot of effort into being where I am.

One of the most well-known recent cases also featured the music of the late Marvin Gaye: after a five-year court struggle over the blockbuster song “Blurred Lines,” Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams agreed to pay $5 million to the estate of Gaye, who claimed that the tracks were strikingly similar to two of Gaye’s songs.

Sheeran has also been involved in his own legal battles; last year, he prevailed in a UK copyright infringement case involving the song “Shape of You.” Sheeran criticized “baseless” musical litigation at the time.

“I’m not an entity, I’m not a corporation, I’m a human being,” he declared. “I’m a spouse, a parent, and a son. I hope this judgment means future frivolous claims can be prevented because lawsuits are not fun. This has to stop, period.

Congratulations on winning this legal battle, Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge! It is not plagiarism if you have a comparable chord progression, and this triumph is good news for musicians everywhere.

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