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A judge in a Manhattan district court has rejectedEd Sheeran‘s request to dismiss a lawsuit claiming thatthe British singer plagiarized Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On”to write his 2014 hit, “Thinking Out Loud.”
In a decision made public on Thursday, U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton announced that he will put the case between Sheeran and the estate of the song’s late cowriter, Ed Townsend, to a jury.
A rep for Sheeran did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
At present, it remains unclear whether the Gaye family will enter the legal fray. The descendants of the late “What’s Going On” singer famously took onRobin Thicke,Pharrell WilliamsandT.I.over their 2013 smash “Blurred Lines,” which they believed resembled Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” The courts agreed, with Thicke and Williamsrecently ordered to pay the familyclose to $5 million.
Others have alleged similarities between Sheeran and Gaye’s songs. In 2016, during Boyz II Men’s 25th-anniversary show in New Jersey, the group pointed out the apparent likeness between the tracks as they started a cover of “Let’s Get It On” before transitioning into “Thinking Out Loud.”
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Sheeran’s dealt with similar legal troubles in the recent past, having been sued over his song “Photograph” in June 2016.
Songwriters Martin Harrington and Tom Leonard filed a lawsuit alleging that Sheeran’s song sounded too similar to “Amazing,” a tune they had written for BritishX Factorwinner Matt Cardle in 2011. Harrington and Leonard sought a jury trial and damages in excess of $20 million, as well as royalties. The case was settled privately out of court in 2017 for an undisclosed sum.
source: people.com
