Ed Sheeran sued over ‘Thinking Out Loud’

The heirs to the composer of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” have sued British musician Ed Sheeran, claiming his hit record “Thinking Out Loud” infringes the copyright to the song.

In a lawsuit filed at the US District Court for the Southern District of New York heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the lyrics to “Let’s Get it On”, as well composing its musical score, claim Sheeran’s hit copies core elements of the track.

The complaint is the second copyright infringement claim against Sheeran in recent months after he was also sued in a lawsuit surrounding his song “Photograph”.

The latest lawsuit, which asks for damages and a trial by jury, argues that the harmonic progressions and melodic elements central to “Let’s Get It On” formed the structure of “Thinking Out Loud”.

“The melodic, rhythmic and harmonic compositions in ‘Thinking’ are not independent creations,” the lawsuit claims. The complaint adds that Sheeran has had access to Gaye’s track via its wide dissemination.

Last year, Gaye’s family last year successfully sued artists Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copyright infringement in an unrelated case that centred on their hit single “Blurred Lines”.

The family was awarded $7.4 million in damages.