Ed Sheeran, the ginger popstar from the U.K., has been sued to the tune of $100 million.
Sheeran allegedly took significant parts out of Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On his huge hit Thinking Out Loud.
A company owned by David Pullman, an investment banker, who notoriously in 1997 pushed through $55 millions of dollars in sales for Bowie Bonds, which had made Bowie the first musician to have his royalties backing the bonds from Pullman's catalog. Ed Sheeran certainly must be under pressure.
The complaint was filed in a Manhattan federal court and stated that Thinking Out Loud, copied the "melody, rhythms, harmonies, drums, bass line, backing chorus, tempo, syncopation and looping" of the 1973 No. 1 hit Let's Get It On.
Thinking Out Loud had sat on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 2 in February 2015.
Sony/ATV Music Publishing and the Atlantic record label will sit with Sheeran as co-defendants and representatives for Atlantic.
Sheeran, and spokesman for Sony/ATV, Paul Williams have not made any comments. All have denied said infringement in another lawsuit filed by the heirs of the now deceased producer Ed Townsend. Structured Asset Sales LLC, owned by David Pullman controls one-third of Townsend's property.
The "Perfect" singer has been accused of stealing others music prior to this new litigation, for his songs Photograph and Shape of You as well.
But this is not the first time someone has been accused of copying Marvin Gaye's music either.
On March 21, 2018, a $5.3 million judgment was upheld by a federal appeals court aimed at Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams by Gaye's family for taking intellectual property from the 1977's Got to Give It Up for the 2013 hit Blurred Lines.
An investor in music and entertainment along with other intellectual properties, Pullman observes a number of them.
Apparently, Pullman had three musicologists compare both hits independently and all stated that they were "substantially or strikingly similar," basically a legal term for copyright infringement.
Although Ed Sheeran isn't the only one to be involved in such cases, and surprisingly artists such as Miley Cyrus, Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Led Zeppelin and Madonna, have all been accused of infringement within the past few years. Usually, many cases are thrown out or settled on.
Pullman notes artists should get necessary permissions for their work before they become huge hits, saying "It's sort of 'catch-me-if-you-can,' after the fact," according to NBC News.
Do you hear any similarities between Marvin Gaye and Ed Sheeran's songs? Did you note anything with Blurred Lines either? Or do you think Pullman is out to make some extra money from chart-hitting artists? Share your thoughts below!
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