Ed Townsend Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

A federal judge has ordered Ed Sheeran to stand trial over accusations that his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” ripped off Marvin Gaye’s iconic “Let’s Get It On”.

Ed Sheeran plagiarism lawsuit that was first filed in 2016 and was seemingly put to rest in May with Sheeran being awarded the victory.In May, Sheeran was declared not guilty of plagiarism in a case filed by heirs of Ed Townsend in 2016 over the estate’s claims that the ‘Thinking Out Loud’ singer copied Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’.Following the verdict, Townsend’s heirs announced their intent to appeal for a re-trial. Now, however, it has been revealed according to court documents that the estate has withdrawn its appeal, making it such that it will be unable to refile the case at a later date, giving Ed Sheeran a definitive win in the case.Reuters has also confirmed the withdrawal, with Ed Sheeran’s lawyer Ilene Farkas telling the publication that Townsend’s estate “recognized that an appeal would end up with the verdict being affirmed but also with them being exposed to legal fees and costs, and wisely withdrew.”Sheeran told reporters outside court in May following the verdict: “I am obviously very happy with the outcome of the case and it looks like I am not having to retire from my day job after all.

Ed Sheeran has won another copyright case regarding his 2014 Number One hit ‘Thinking Out Loud’.Earlier this month, the pop star was found to have not copied Marvin Gaye‘s ‘Let’s Get It On’ for ‘Thinking Out Loud’, a US court ruled in a high-profile case.The case was brought against the pop star in 2016 by Ed Townsend – one of the co-writers on Gaye’s classic 1973 track – who accused Sheeran of copying the song on his 2014 hit.The verdict came after Sheeran reportedly took to the stand in Manhattan to insist he would be “done” with music if found guilty.Now, the star has won another lawsuit that was filed in 2018 by Structured Asset Sales, the partial owners of the copyright of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote ‘Let’s Get It On’.In his verdict, New York federal judge Louis L. Stanton dismissed the case on similar grounds as the other, more high-profile proceeding, saying: “It is an unassailable reality that the chord progression and harmonic rhythm in ‘Let’s Get It On’ are so commonplace, in isolation and in combination, that to protect their combination would give ‘Let’s Get It On’ an impermissible monopoly over a basic musical building block.”He added: “There is no genuine issue of material fact as to whether defendants infringed the protected elements of ‘Let’s Get It On.

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.”

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic What might have felt like double jeopardy has turned into a double win for Ed Sheeran, as the pop superstar prevailed in yet a second copyright infringement lawsuit filed over the song “Thinking Out Loud,.” The same judge who oversaw the previous case dismissed this additional suit on Tuesday before it ever got to trial. This like-minded lawsuit had been filed by Structured Asset Sales LLC, another party with an interest in the 1973 Marvin Gaye hit “Let’s Get It On,” similarly contending that Sheeran’s 2014 smash infringed on the previous song’s copyright. The company owns part of songwriter Ed Townsend’s share of the Gaye tune; it was heirs of Townsend who filed the previous unsuccessful lawsuit. The result was much the same, with or without a trial, with the elements shared by the two tunes being judged “common.”

Ed Sheeran has successfully defeated a lawsuit that accused him of ripping off Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ when he wrote his 2014 song ‘Thinking Out Loud’. And if you think we’re reporting on this two weeks too late you’re forgetting that there were multiple lawsuits making that claim.The first lawsuit to allege that ‘Thinking Out Loud’ infringed the copyright in ‘Let’s Get It On’ was the one filed by the estate of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the Gaye classic.

longtime collaborators did not rip off Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” with their 2014 hit.Wadge, 47, last week shared a picture of the celebratory ink on her left arm, which read “independently created” in a typewriter-style typeface.Heirs of “Let’s Get It On” composer Ed Townsend alleged in a $100 million lawsuit that Sheeran and Wadge’s song contained elements of harmony, melody and rhythm stolen from the classic Gaye tune.But the jury found the British musicians “independently created” the romantic ballad.In an Instagram post showing off her new tat, Wadge said she was “on cloud nine about the verdict” which came after “three of the toughest weeks” of her life.Sheeran, 32, was also overcome with emotion following the legal ordeal.

Ed Sheeran has said that he felt that he “had to take a stand” against claims that he ripped off Marvin Gaye song ‘Let’s Get It On’ when he wrote his 2014 song ‘Thinking Out Loud’, even though doing so meant that he was forced to miss his grandmother’s funeral.“I’m really glad it’s over, man”, he told Howard Stern on his Sirius XM show. Acknowledging the length of time it took for the case to get to trial, he went on: “It was eight years of that.

Jem Aswad Senior Music Editor In his first interview since his victory in the “Thinking Out Loud” copyright infringement lawsuit last week, Ed Sheeran told “Good Morning America” why he feels the jury believe that he did not copy Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit “Let’s Get It On” for his song. It was “101 songs with the same chord sequence, and that was just, like, scratching the surface,” he said, adding that the jury “was very quick to see that and be like, ‘Oh, yeah.'” (Sheeran seems to have chosen that number randomly to illustrate a multitude.) Sheeran had been steadfast in his denial that he’d taken from Gaye’s song, despite the lawsuit brought by the family of Gaye’s co-writer on the song, the late Ed Townsend. While Sheeran’s song does recall the tempo and chord progression of Gaye’s hit, ultimately his testimony and even performance of the song, solo on acoustic guitar, during the trial helped to lean the jury in his favor. He even mashed it up with other songs that are generally similar.

The ‘CBS Sunday Morning’ programme in the US this weekend aired an interview with Ed Sheeran recorded before last week’s ruling in the big song-theft case over his 2014 song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ in which he discussed the legal battle.Sheeran was accused of ripping off Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ when he wrote ‘Thinking Out Loud’ by the estate of the former song’s co-writer Ed Townsend. But Sheeran and his lawyers countered that the two songs sound similar simply because they are built out of the same musical building blocks, which are not protected by copyright in isolation.And last week a jury in New York agreed with Team Sheeran, concluding that the musician had not infringed the copyright in ‘Let’s Get It On’ when he wrote ‘Thinking Out Loud’.As part of a feature for CBS to promote his new album ‘-‘, Sheeran was asked about the legal dispute that was still going through the motions when the interview was recorded.

Last week Ed Sheeran was victorious in defending a legal case brought by heirs of the estate of Ed Townsend, a writer on Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." A federal jury found that Sheeran didn't copy Gaye's classic song when he wrote his 2014 single "Thinking Out Loud," with Sheeran having previously stated he would retire from music if he'd lost the case. Sheeran, who released new album - a day after the jury's verdict, appeared on CBS Sunday Morning this weekend, where he talked about the trial and how he believes similar cases will arise in the future due to the financial stakes on offer.

Ed Sheeran has reflected on his recent high-profile plagiarism trial in a new TV interview.The pop star was found to have not copied Marvin Gaye‘s ‘Let’s Get It On’ for his 2014 Number One hit ‘Thinking Out Loud’, a US court ruled on Thursday (May 4).The case was brought against the pop star in 2016 by Ed Townsend – one of the co-writers on Gaye’s classic 1973 track – who accused Sheeran of copying the song on his 2014 hit.Earlier today (May 7), the singer appeared on CBS Sunday Morning to discuss his new album ‘–’ and the case.Of the controversy around the case, and why he felt it necessary to pursue victory on behalf of all songwriters, and to set a future precedent, Sheeran said: “There’s like four chords that get used in pop songs. And if you just think mathematically the likelihood of this song having the same chords as this song—there’s multiple, multiple songs—it’s all the same four chords … you are going to get this with every single pop song from now on.“Unless it just stops, which I don’t think it does because it’s a big money business to take things to court.

Ed Sheeran has said that his ‘Thinking Out Loud’ plagiarism case was ultimately “about heart and integrity”, as he celebrated his court battle win earlier this week.The pop star was found to have not copied Marvin Gaye‘s ‘Let’s Get It On’ for his 2014 Number One hit ‘Thinking Out Loud’, a US court ruled on Thursday (May 4).Ed Townsend, one of the co-writers on Gaye’s classic 1973 track, brought the case against Sheeran in 2016.Sheeran spoke to the New York-based radio programme Elvis Duran And The Morning Show yesterday (May 5) about his court victory.“The one thing that felt like the biggest win for me was, afterwards, Kathryn Griffin Townsend [daughter of the late Ed Townsend] and her family and everyone came up to me, hugged me and said, ‘We believe you,’” he said. “I got to walk away…from it knowing I did the right thing.”The accusations alleged that Sheeran and co-writer Amy Wadge copied the rhythm of the 1973 song as well as an ascending four-chord sequence.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic To say that the music industry was glued to reports coming out of the Ed Sheeran copyright infringement trial, and particularly the verdict, would be an understatement, coming as it did after the “Blurred Lines” case had a very different outcome. Ilene Farkas, the lead attorney from Pryor Cashman, which handled Sheeran’s defense, says the two trials weren’t exactly comparable, but knew well that many songwriters who worry they could end up in the same shoes as Sheeran were counting on a victory for the singer-songwriter to establish some fresh precedent for having future copyright claims facing a higher burden of proof. Farkas spoke with Variety the day after the verdict came in favoring Sheeran over the plantiffs, heirs of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” co-writer, Ed Townsend.

Ed Sheeran is speaking out in one of his first interviews since winning the lawsuit over the “Thinking Out Loud” song.

Ed Sheeran shed happy tears this week after winning his plagiarism case, which fought allegations that he ripped off part of Marvin Gaye’s 1973 song, Let’s Get It On, for his 2014 hit Thinking Out Loud.The singer, 32, who has battled and won court cases similar before, spoke spoke outside of a US courthouse while explaining his joy yet 'frustration' over the situation. Going on for years now, it was back in 2017 that singer Kathryn Townsend Griffin, the daughter of Ed Townsend, one of the co-writers on the Marvin Gaye track, filed a lawsuit against him in 2017.

Ed Sheeran did not infringe the copyright in Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ when he wrote his 2014 song ‘Thinking Out Loud’. Which I think we already knew, but now we have confirmation of that fact in a US courtroom.

Looks like Ed Sheeran won’t be leaving the music industry in disgust after all.

Ed Sheeran celebrated a big court win Thursday after a jury found the "Bad Habits" singer-songwriter didn't copy Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" in his own 2014 song, "Thinking Out Loud." Sheeran, 32, shared a statement on Instagram shortly after leaving the New York courthouse following his win.   "It’s all over, back to what I love doing," he captioned a video clip addressing the public.

A victory with a message. Ed Sheeran spoke out after winning a copyright case about his song “Thinking Out Loud” — and slammed the practice of suing artists for using “common building blocks” of music.

Ed Sheeran is speaking out after winning his copyright trial. On Thursday, a New York City jury ruled that the 32-year-old singer did not copy Marvin Gaye's 1973 hit, «Let's Get It On,» on his 2014 song, «Thinking Out Loud.»The verdict came after heirs of Gaye's «Let's Get It On» co-writer, Ed Townsend, sued Sheeran and his record label in 2017. After ultimately coming out victorious, an eyewitness tells ET, «Ed seemed very pleased with the verdict and gave everyone on his legal team a big hug.

Ed Sheeran did not copy Marvin Gaye‘s ‘Let’s Get It On’ for his song ‘Thinking Out Loud’, a US court ruled today (May 4).The case was brought against the pop star in 2016 by Ed Townsend – one of the co-writers on Gaye’s classic 1973 track – who accused Sheeran of copying the song on his 2014 hit.The accusations alleged that Sheeran and co-writer Amy Wadge copied the rhythm of the 1973 song, as well as an ascending four-chord sequence. The case also referenced “striking similarities” between the two tracks that violate the copyright.

Ed Sheeran has won a US copyright lawsuit which alleged he copied parts of Marvin Gaye’s hit song Let’s Get It On for his own track Thinking Out Loud.The lawsuit was officially filed in 2017 and claimed Ed had ripped off part of the classic Marvin Gaye song.The British musician was taken to court by the family of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s co-writer of the 1973 soul classic.They claimed that Sheeran’s 2014 song, written with collaborator Amy Wadge, bore “striking similarities” and “overt common elements” to Let’s Get It On.The trail in New York lasted for a week where Ed and the song's co-writer, Amy Wadge, gave evidence including several live singing performances. The singer explained that he had written the song when he was at home in England and that his grandparents were the inspiration behind the song, as well as a new romance which had just sparked around that time.

A jury found today that Ed Sheeran did not wrongfully copy Marvin Gaye’s classic “Let’s Get It On” with his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud.”

Ed Sheeran did not copy Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On in his own hit song Thinking Out Loud, a court has ruled.

A federal jury in Manhattan has sided with Ed Sheeran in the plagiarism trial that saw the pop songwriter accused of stealing elements of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” in the writing of Sheeran’s 2014 track “Thinking Out Loud.” The suit was brought by heirs of the estate of Ed Townsend, a writer of “Let’s Get It On.” They contended that “Thinking Out Loud” used specific musical elements such as harmony and melody of “Let’s Get It On.” A video of Ed Sheeran performing a mash-up of “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On” was used as evidence, though the singer testified that he and the song’s co-writer Amy Wadge were in fact inspired by Van Morrison’s music. Read Next: Ed Sheeran says he’ll retire from music if he loses Marvin Gaye plagiarism lawsuit Deliberations began on Wednesday (May 4) after the conclusion of the testimony.

A verdict has been reached in Ed Sheeran‘s copyright trial. On Thursday, a New York City jury found that the 32-year-old singer did not copy Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit, “Let’s Get It On,” on his 2014 song, “Thinking Out Loud.”

Ed Sheeran’s threat that he will quit music if he loses the current ‘Thinking Out Loud’ song-theft case in New York might have actually boosted support for the Ed Townsend estate that instigated this legal battle. However, Sheeran’s lawyer warned yesterday, if her client loses, all songwriters lose because of the precedent that ruling will set.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic Testimony wrapped up in the Ed Sheeran copyright infringement trial at the end of the court day Wednesday, as the judge sent the Manhattan jury into deliberations with a pointed admonition: “Independent creation is a complete defense, no matter how similar that song is.” U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton’s instructions may have left a high bar in the jury’s minds for just how much evidence the plaintiffs’ attorneys needed to have established to prove that Sheeran and his co-writer actually copied Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” when they wrote the pop hit “Thinking Out Loud.” According to Insider, Stanton told jurors that the lawyers for the heirs of Gaye’s co-writer, Ed Townsend, needed to “prove by a preponderance of the evidence… that Sheeran actually copied and wrongfully copied ‘Let’s Get It On'” — as opposed to the coincidental, negligible similarities argued by Sheeran’s attorneys.

Ed Sheeran has spent another day in court in an ongoing plagiarism trial related to his 2015 single ‘Thinking Out Loud’, and played Van Morrison in the court room to further contest accusations that the song ripped off Marvin Gaye‘s ‘Let’s Get It On’.Back in 2016, the pop star was sued by Ed Townsend, one of the song’s co-writers, who alleged that Sheeran and co-writer Amy Wadge copied the rhythm of the 1973 song, as well as an ascending four-chord sequence. It also references “striking similarities” between the two tracks that violate the copyright.

Ed Sheeran had some harsh words to say about a musicologist who presented expert testimony at the ‘Thinking Out Loud’ song-theft trial last week. “I think what he is doing is criminal”, the musician declared in court earlier this week, adding: “I don’t know why he’s allowed to be an expert”.Musicologist Alexander Stewart was testifying for the estate of the late Ed Townsend, which accuses Sheeran of ripping off the Marvin Gaye song ‘Let’s Get It On’ when he wrote ‘Thinking Out Loud’ back in 2014.