The U.S. Supreme Court turned away on Monday a bid to revive a copyright infringement lawsuit accusing pop star Ed Sheeran of unlawfully copying from the late singer Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On” in his 2014 hit song “Thinking Out Loud.”
The justices declined to hear an appeal by Structured Asset Sales, a company owned by investment banker David Pullman that has a copyright interest in Gaye’s song, of a judge’s decision to dismiss the case. The company had sued Sheeran, his record label Warner Music (WMG.O), opens new tab and music publisher Sony Music Publishing (6758.T), opens new tab, seeking monetary damages over alleged similarities between the two songs.
Gaye, who died in 1984, collaborated with singer-songwriter Ed Townsend, who died in 2003, to write “Let’s Get It On,” which topped the Billboard charts. Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2015.
Structured Asset Sales owns a share of the rights to “Let’s Get It On” that previously belonged to Townsend. Its lawsuit accused Sheeran of misusing copyrighted elements of “Let’s Get It On” including its melody, harmony and rhythm.
U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton decided in 2023 that the musical elements that Sheeran was accused of copying were too common to merit copyright protection.
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Author: Dillon B
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