Ed Sheeran took the stand for the first time this week to defend against allegations he copied elements of Marvin Gaye’s 1973 hit Let’s Get It On when producing his own 2014 hit song, Thinking Out Loud.
Heirs of Gaye’s collaborator and Let’s Get It On co-writer Eric Townsend sued Sheeran in 2017, alleging copyright infringement over similarities in the two songs’ chord progressions.
The trial has been delayed several times since, but as it gets underway in New York District Court, experts are watching for a ruling that could set a new copyright precedent in the entertainment industry.
A loss for Sheeran could expand the commonly-understood boundaries of music copyright and
