A Manhattan jury found Ed Sheeran’s hit “Thinking Out Loud” did not infringe on the copyright of the classic Marvin Gaye song “Let’s Get It On.” The jury determined that Sheeran did not wrongfully copy compositional elements or melodies from “Let’s Get It On.” The jury found that Sheeran independently created his song. Sheeran later said he is “obviously very happy with the outcome of the case,” adding “it looks like I’m not having to retire from my day job after all.
Ben Crump, a lawyer representing the family of the co-writer for Gaye’s 1973 hit “Let’s Get It On,” said in his opening statement that Sheeran played his ballad and Gaye’s song back-to-back in a medley during a concert, and called the moment a “smoking gun.” During his testimony, Sheeran said the idea of creating the medley was “probably mine.” He said if he had, indeed, copied “Let’s Get It On,” then he “would’ve been an idiot to stand on stage in front of 20,000 people.