Ed Sheeran Cleared of Plagiarism Charges: Jury Rules ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Did Not Copy ‘Let’s Get It On

A jury has found British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran did not plagiarize the 1973 Marvin Gaye hit “Let’s Get It On” for his 2014 song “Thinking Out Loud”. The verdict comes after a week-long trial in which the heirs of the co-writer of “Let’s Get It On,” sued Sheeran for copyright infringement, claiming that the chorus of his song copied the melody, harmony, and rhythm of Gaye’s hit.

Sheeran, who did not attend the trial, has always maintained that he did not copy Gaye’s song and that any similarities between the two tracks were purely coincidental. He argued that the chord progressions used in both songs were commonplace and had been used in many other songs before.

The jury agreed with Sheeran’s defense, ruling that the elements of “Let’s Get It On” that the plaintiffs claimed had been copied were not original enough to be protected under copyright law. The judge in the case also dismissed the claim against Sheeran’s co-writer, Amy Wadge, stating that there was no evidence to support the accusation that she had contributed to the alleged infringement.

The verdict in this case sets a precedent for future copyright infringement lawsuits involving similar claims.