Was singer Ed Sheeran a little too inspired by Marvin Gaye for his song
Thinking Out Loud
?
The heirs of the co-author, Ed Townsend, are certain of it.
American justice should decide in the coming months.
The date of the Manhattan court hearing has not yet been released.
New York District Chief Judge Louis Stanton decided on Thursday to bring the British singer to justice.
The procedure will determine whether Ed Sheeran's single infringes the copyright of
Let's Get It
On,
the title of Marvin Gaye released in 1973. The procedure was initiated by the latter's heirs in 2016.
Read alsoMarvin Gaye's "lost" album found half a century later
It was the investment banker David Pullman and his company Structured Asset Sales, legatee of the co-author of the song, who started the process in 2016 with the New York court.
They are claiming $100 million in damages from Ed Sheeran.
They are convinced that the singer and his co-author
"copied and exploited, without authorization or credit"
the song by Marvin Gaye.
"Including its melody, rhythms, harmonies, drums, bass line, chorus, tempo, syncopation and looping," the
BBC
clarifies
.
This is not Ed Sheeran's first plagiarism trial.
Six months ago, it was his tube
Shape Of You
which was targeted by British justice.
But the High Court in London ruled in favor of the 31-year-old singer, who received more than a million euros in damages.
After this lawsuit, he had denounced the "baseless"
and, according to him,
"too common"
copyright claims
.
Regarding Marvin Gaye's discography, the legal proceedings are not new either.
Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke were ordered to pay 5 million euros to the singer's heirs in 2018. American justice then considered that the two artists had partially copied
Got to Give It Up
for their hit
Blurred Lines
.