Ed Sheeran appears in Marvin Gaye copyright infringement trial

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran took the court stand this week to defend himself in the copyright infringement case alleging his 2014 Grammy-winning song “Thinking Out Loud” borrowed Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On.”

Sheeran also sang a mash-up of his and Gaye’s song live during a 2014 stage performance.

Plaintiffs in the case are Ed Townsend’s heirs. Townsend co-wrote “Let’s Get It On” with Gaye. 

The case
Townsend family sued Sheeran in 2017 for $100 million saying the British singer copied the four-chord progression from Gaye’s song and that it violated federal copyright law. Warner Music Group and Sony Music Publishing are also blamed in the lawsuit.

The trial
In the court trial on Tuesday, Sheeran said, “It is my belief that most pop songs are built on building blocks that have been freely available for hundreds of years.”

He also said the idea of creating the medley was “probably mine.” He said if he had copied “Let’s Get It On,” then he “would’ve been an idiot to stand on stage in front of 20,000 people.

Sheeran’s lawyers said that more than a dozen songs have used the same chord progression as Gaye’s song.

The trial will continue through next week during which Sheeran is expected to testify again. A Manhattan jury will decide the verdict.