Ed Sheeran – Thinking Out Loud [Official Video]

Ed Sheeran has emerged triumphant in his copyright infringement court battle today.

The 32-year-old crooner has spent the past two weeks in Manhattan Federal Court fighting a claim that his 2014 track, Thinking Out Loud, had been lifted from Marvin Gaye’s iconic record, Let’s Get It On.

The claim was made against Sheeran and his record label Atlantic Records by Kathryn Townsend Griffin, an heir to the estate of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote Let’s Get It On with Gaye back in 1973.

However, her attempt to sue for $100million has failed, with a jury deciding in Sheeran’s favour today in New York.

Sheeran has adamantly denied he deliberately infringed the copyright of the song, appearing in court throughout the trial.

If the jury had ruled against Sheeran, the trial would have entered a second phase to determine how much he and his record labels owed in damages.

In a bid to “defend his integrity”, Sheeran even missed his own grandmother’s funeral in order remain at the trial.

Speaking outside the courthouse after the verdict was served, Sheeran touched upon his grandmother’s death and declared he would “never get back time back”.

Ms Townsend Griffin’s representatives argued during the court case that Sheeran had knowingly lifted elements of Let’s Get It On – with their “smoking gun” being a recording of the crooner performing a mash-up of both tracks while on tour.

However, Sheeran maintained this was typical of him to mash up tracks as it was “easy to weave songs together” – having previously also used Dolly Parton’s I Will Always Love You and Van Morrison’s Crazy Love in the same manner.

He said on the stand it was “insulting” he had been accused of using other people’s songs, and even said he would quit his career if the results didn’t go in his favour.

As for their “smoking gun” video – with the claimant’s lawyers said were “practically a confession” – Sheeran said he had to be “pretty stupid” in order to do that in front of 20,000 people.

In court today, the judge declared Sheeran “neither deliberately or subconsciously” copied the famous 70s ballad.

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