Ed Sheeran’s full statement after copyright trial win: ‘I will never allow myself to be a piggy bank’

Sign up to Roisin O’Connor’s free weekly newsletter Now Hear This for the inside track on all things music Get our Now Hear This email for free Get our Now Hear This email for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Ed Sheeran shared a lengthy, defiant statement after a jury ruled Thursday that he did not copy Marvin Gaye’s soul classic “Let’s Get It On.” Sheeran had been sued by the heirs of Ed Townsend, the songwriter who composed the 1973 anthem with Gaye. They have alleged that Sheeran’s 2014 song “Thinking Out Loud” copied harmonic progressions, melodic and rhythmic elements from “Let’s Get It On” without permission. open image in gallery Ed Sheeran outside court in New York “Unfortunately, unfounded claims like this are being fuelled by individuals who are offered as music experts in musical analysis. In April last year, Sheeran won another copyright lawsuit after he was accused of plagiarising his song “Shape of You” from Sami Chokri’s 2015 track “Oh Why”.