Lawyer claims Ed Sheeran ‘confessed’ to copying Marvin Gaye with concert mashup

nme.com:

ongoing lawsuit — which accuses Ed Sheeran of copying a Marvin Gaye song — a lawyer has accused the singer-songwriter of “confessing” to the infringement by mashing up the two songs at one of his concerts.The lawsuit extends back to 2017 when Ed Townsend — one of the co-writers on the Marvin Gaye track ‘Let’s Get It On’ — accused the British pop icon of copying the track in his hit song ‘Thinking Out Loud’.Now taken to court, the accusations allege that Sheeran and co-writer Amy Wadge copied the rhythm of the 1973 track, as well as an ascending four-chord sequence.

It also references “striking similarities” between the two tracks, that violate the copyright.During the ongoing case, Sheeran’s attorney Irene Farkas told the court that the “heartfelt song” was written “without copying” Gaye, and features elements that are commonly used in pop music.

However, attorney Ben Crump retaliated and claimed that the singer “confessed” to copying Gaye when he mashed the two songs up at a live show (via The Associated Press).“If I’d done what you’re accusing me of doing, I’d be an idiot to stand on stage in front of 20,000 people [and do that],” the ‘Shape Of You’ singer said on Tuesday (April 25), responding to the allegations (via Rolling Stone). “It is my belief that most pop songs are built on building blocks that have been freely available for 100s of years.”He also claimed that the track was inspired by the love held between his grandparents, and that it is common for pop songs to “fit over” others. “Most pop songs can fit over most pop songs,” he explained. “You could go from ‘Let it Be’ to ‘No Woman, No Cry’ and switch back,” referring to songs by The Beatles and Bob Marley (via The Guardian).