Ed Sheeran accused of pirating Marvin Gaye’s song
NEW YORK: British singer Ed Sheeran has appeared in New York Court to face accusations he copied Marvin Gaye’s song ‘ Let’s Get it On ‘.
A family member of the co-writer of the song, Ed Townsend, claimed that Sheeran, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Publishing should pay royalties to them as a result of the act.
Sheeran was accused of using Gaye’s lyrics in his song ‘Thinking Out Loud’.
However, the 32-year-old Grammy award winner denied he had imitated the lyrics of the 1973 song Gaye.
“I wrote the lyrics myself. I can explain the meaning behind the lyrics,” he said.
The trial began on Tuesday and is expected to last up to a week.
If Sheeran is found guilty, the trial will enter a second phase to determine how much he will have to pay to copy the song’s lyrics.