For the second time around, Ed Sheeran needs to deal with another lawsuit filed on Tuesday. He was accused of exploiting the harmony, rhythm compositions, and the melody from Marvin Gaye's famous song "Let's Get It On" for the song "Thinking Out Loud."
Sheeran was first sued back in June for allegedly ransacking suggestive portion of the songs "Amazing" recorded by Matt Cardle, UK X-Factor winner. He was accused of plagiarizing the song for his single "Photograph" and requested to pay $20 million for the damages. Previous reports say that 70 percent of Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard's hit song "Amazing" in 2014 was incorporated to Sheeran's "Photograph."
The allegations, this time, associate his hit song "Thinking Out Loud" where he infringed the song of Gaye's "Let's Get It On." Ed Townsend (co-writer of Gaye) heirs claimed that the British singer-songwriter's Grammy award-winning song is eloquently composed of basic melodic and rhythmic fundamentals from "Let's Get It On." The case was filed in the Southern District of New York federal court, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
"The defendants copied the 'heart' of Let's and repeated it continuously throughout Thinking," the lawsuit says. "The melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic compositions of Thinking are substantially and/or strikingly similar to the drum composition of Let's."
The lawsuit also mentioned that Sheeran was acquainted last year regarding the copyright infringement of the song. However, the musician did not cease on performing the song. That prompts Townsend's heir to file a lawsuit and asked for compensation, according to the Mercury News.
The case also mentioned Amy Wadge, "Thinking Out Loud" co-writer, producer Jake Gosling, Warner Bros., Atlantic Records, and Sony/ATV Music Publishing among others.
Last year, Gaye's family was successful in suing recording artists Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke in another but unrelated case. The judge ordered the defendant to pay $7.4 million for the damages for the song "Blurred Lines."
