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Singer Ed Sheeran appears on NBC's "Today" show at Rockefeller Center in New York, U.S., June 6, 2023. A court filing on Wednesday said that songwriter Ed Townsend's estate would withdraw the appeal with prejudice, which means it cannot be refiled. Attorneys for Townsend's estate did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday. A jury determined after a six-day trial in May that Sheeran's song did not infringe Townsend's copyright in "Let's Get It On." Pullman's company has a separate lawsuit pending against Sheeran based on its rights in the sound recording of "Let's Get It On."

Persons: Ed Sheeran, Brendan McDermid, Marvin Gaye's, Ed Townsend's, Ilene Farkas, Townsend's, Sheeran, Bowie, David Pullman's, Townsend, Blake Brittain, David Bario, Mark Porter Organizations: Rockefeller Center, REUTERS, Warner Music, Sony Music, Thomson Locations: New York, U.S, United States, Pullman, Washington

Companies Warner Music Group Corp FollowMay 16 (Reuters) - British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran on Tuesday defeated a second copyright lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan over similarities between his hit "Thinking Out Loud" and Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." Stanton presided over both cases, which concerned co-writer Ed Townsend's share of Gaye's 1973 classic. Townsend's heirs failed to convince jurors that Sheeran infringed their part of Townsend's copyright in the song. It sued Sheeran, his label Warner Music Group (WMG.O) and his music publisher Sony Music Publishing in 2018 after Townsend's heirs filed their lawsuit. Structured Asset Sales has filed another lawsuit against Sheeran based on its rights to Gaye's recording, which is still pending.

☆ Ed Sheeran tops UK charts with 'Subtract' after copyright victory
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Ed Sheeran performs at the 58th Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards in Frisco, Texas, U.S. May 11, 2023. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni/File PhotoLONDON, May 12 (Reuters) - Pop star Ed Sheeran topped the UK music charts with his latest album, the critically acclaimed "Subtract", on Friday, a week after winning a U.S. copyright trial over one of his biggest hits. "Subtract", the British singer-songwriter's sixth studio album, went straight to no. 1, extending Sheeran's "flawless run of chart-topping albums", the Official Charts Company said. He was also facing a UK copyright trial over his 2017 song "Shape of You", a case he went on to win.

☆ Ed Sheeran didn't steal from Marvin Gaye's 'Let's Get It On,' jury rules
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-04 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Musician Ed Sheeran leaves federal court in New York, US, on Wednesday, May 3, 2023. A Manhattan federal jury ruled Thursday that pop star Ed Sheeran didn't infringe on the copyright of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." Upon hearing the verdict, Sheeran stood up and hugged his lawyers, according to NBC News. The plaintiffs first filed the civil suit in 2017 and alleged that Sheeran, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Publishing stole from the soul classic, violating federal copyright law. Sheeran told jurors that he composed "Thinking Out Loud" independently with British songwriter Wadge, who was not named in the lawsuit.

Townsend's heirs sued Sheeran for copyright infringement in 2017, contending that "Thinking Out Loud" copied the "heart" of Gaye's song including its melody, harmony and rhythm. Testifying during the trial, Sheeran denied the copyright infringement claims, telling the jury, "I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it." The heirs said in a court filing that they received 22% of the writer's share of Gaye's song from Townsend. I am not and will never allow myself to be a piggy bank for anyone to shake," Sheeran said after the verdict. Sheeran won a trial in London last year in a separate copyright case over his hit "Shape of You."

Companies Warner Music Group Corp FollowNEW YORK, May 3 (Reuters) - A jury will now decide whether British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran ripped off Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" after hearing closing arguments on Wednesday in a week-long copyright trial. Townsend's heirs in 2017 sued Sheeran, his label Warner Music Group (WMG.O) and his music publisher Sony Music Publishing, claiming infringement of their copyright interest in the Gaye song. Sheeran and his co-writer, Amy Wadge, both testified during the trial that they did not copy "Let's Get It On." Sheeran said he had only passing familiarity with the song and that "Thinking Out Loud" was inspired by Irish musician Van Morrison. Sheeran won a trial in London last year in a separate copyright case over his hit "Shape of You."

"They independently created 'Thinking Out Loud,'" Farkas said. Farkas told the jury that these were "basic musical building blocks" that no one owns. A lawyer for the heirs was expected to give a closing argument to the jury later in the afternoon. Sheeran won a trial in London last year in a separate copyright case over his hit "Shape of You." Gaye's heirs in 2015 won a lawsuit claiming the Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams song "Blurred Lines" copied Gaye's "Got to Give It Up."

As he had last week, the British singer-songwriter played guitar and sang from the witness stand to underscore his testimony, telling jurors his song "Thinking Out Loud" had actually been inspired by Irish musician Van Morrison. Sheeran said he and other performers frequently perform such "mash ups," and that he had on other occasions combined "Thinking Out Loud" with Van Morrison's "Crazy Love" and Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You." He ridiculed Frank's questions about how often Sheeran collaborates with others in writing songs, which he said was common practice. If Sheeran is found liable, there will be a second trial to determine the damages amount. Reporting By Brendan Pierson in New York Editing by David Bario and Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Ed Sheeran is being sued for allegedly copying Marvin Gaye — here's where the trial stands
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Stefan Sykes | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Musician Ed Sheeran was in court this week to deny claims that his 2014 song "Thinking Out Loud" is a copy of Marvin Gaye's 1973 classic "Let's Get it On." The high-profile copyright case was brought by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Gaye. The defense, which did not cross examine Sheeran, said he'll be back on the stand once more during the trial. Sheeran also said the 2014 concert mash-up only happened because most pop songs use a handful of similar chords. "It is my belief that most pop songs are built on building blocks that have been freely available for hundreds of years."

☆ Ed Sheeran plagiarism trial erupts in laughs over nerdy, computer-generated version of 'Let's Get It On'
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Laura Italiano | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Ed Sheeran is on trial in federal court in Manhattan, fighting a copyright infringement lawsuit. Laughter broke out Wednesday as an expert played a nerdy 'AI' version of Marvin Gaye's soul classic. "Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on baby," the voice continued, without apostrophes or groove. "It was hideous," Griffin Townsend told Insider of the robotic rendition of her father's song that was played for jurors on Wednesday. "Most pop songs can fit over most pop songs," he told jurors of the two songs' overlapping chord structure.

Heirs of songwriter Ed Townsend sued Sheeran, his label Warner Music Group and music publisher Sony Music Publishing for allegedly ripping off Gaye's classic, which Townsend co-wrote. Townsend's heirs sued Sheeran for copyright infringement in 2017, claiming "Thinking Out Loud" copied the "heart" of Gaye's song including its melody, harmony and rhythm. The heirs said in a court filing that they received 22% of the writer's share of Gaye's song from Townsend. Sheeran won a trial in London last year in a separate copyright case over his hit "Shape of You." Gaye's heirs won a landmark verdict in 2015 over claims that the Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams song "Blurred Lines" copied Gaye's "Got to Give It Up."

Jan 27 (Reuters) - Rick Astley has sued the rapper Yung Gravy over a song that borrowed heavily from the British singer's signature "Never Gonna Give You Up," claiming that the new song illegally used an impersonator who imitated Astley's distinctive baritone. "In an effort to capitalize off of the immense popularity and goodwill of Mr. Astley, defendants ... conspired to include a deliberate and nearly indistinguishable imitation of Mr. Astley's voice," the complaint said. Among the defendants are Yung Gravy, whose real name is Matthew Hauri, and his record label, Universal Music Group's (UMG.AS) Republic Records. Universal and a representative for Yung Gravy did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The song saw resurgent popularity about two decades later through the "Rickroll" internet meme, where it unexpectedly interrupts unrelated content.

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