It was reported yesterday that Ed Sheeran is facing a new copyright case, accused of copying elements of Marvin Gaye’s hit ‘Let’s Get It On’.

The family of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote ‘Let’s Get It On’ with Marvin Gaye, claimed that Ed Sheeran’s track ‘Thinking Out Loud’ has similar melodic and rhythmic elements as the 70’s classic. The family have demanded a jury trial and compensation for damages.

It is alleged that Ed continued to perform the song even after he was notified of the copyright infringement claim last year. The song is currently credited to both Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge, who has also been named in the suit alongside producer Jake Gosling, Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Atlantic Records and Warner Bros. There’s been no response yet from Ed Sheeran or his record label.

Thinking Out Loud won best pop solo performance at this year’s Grammy’s and was a multi-platinum hit globally. The track became the first song to spend a full year in the UK’s top 40 and was his highest charting hit in North America.

This isn’t the first time Ed has been accused of copyright infringement; he is already being sued by two songwriters over his single ‘Photograph’.  Likewise, this isn’t the first time claims have been made in relation to Marvin Gaye’s tracks, last year Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay more than $7m in damages to the family of Marvin Gaye for the copyright infringement of his 1977 hit ‘Got to give it up’.

Here at Farleys we have a dedicated sports and media team who have a wealth of experience in dealing with matters such as this. If you require any legal advice in relation to copyright then do not hesitate to contact us today.