A lawyer for the heirs of Marvin Gaye's co-writer of the song “Let's Get It On' says he has “smoking gun' proof that Ed Sheeran's “Thinking Out Loud' violates the copyright of the soul classic.
Tuesday marked the beginning of a civil trial against British pop star Ed Sheeran, who has been accused of using elements from two Marvin Gaye songs in violation of their copyright.
A lawyer for the heirs of Marvin Gaye’s co-writer of the song "Let’s Get It On" told jurors at the start of a civil trial Tuesday that he has "smoking gun" proof that Ed Sheeran’s "Thinking Out Loud" violates the copyright of the soul classic. Attorney Ben Crump, representing heirs of Ed Townsend, said in his opening statement that the English pop star merged the two songs in concert and jurors will get to see it."We have a smoking gun," he said of the concert footage showing Sheeran flipping between the two songs.Sheeran, 32, looked on as his lawyer, Ilene Farkas, insisted that Sheeran and a cowriter, Amy Wadge, wrote their song independently and did not steal from Townsend and Gaye.
"Let’s Get It On" has been heard in countless films and commercials and garnered hundreds of millions of streams, spins and radio plays since it came out in 1973. "Thinking Out Loud" won a Grammy for song of the year in 2016.Townsend, who also wrote the 1958 R&B doo-wop hit "For Your Love," was a singer, songwriter and lawyer. He died in 2003. Kathryn Townsend Griffin, his daughter, is the plaintiff leading the lawsuit.
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