Lawyers for Ed Sheeran say claims in a copyright suit against the singer haven’t been proven — and that a judge should toss the case out rather than have a jury decide, court papers show.
A trial in Manhattan federal court got underway this week in a lawsuit accusing the 32-year-old British musician of stealing parts of Marvin Gaye’s iconic song “Let’s Get It On” for his own award-winning track “Thinking Out Loud.”
The “Shape Of You” crooner has been in court to testify that the accusations against him are untrue — and even sang bits of the allegedly offending song to the jury panel Thursday.
Kathryn Townsend Griffin brought the suit against Sheeran as the daughter of the late Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the 1973 R&B classic with Gaye.
Sheeran’s lawyers, however, contend Townsend Griffin hasn’t proven her claims that Sheeran stole parts of the song — and that instead of a jury deliberation, the case ought to be tossed out by the judge.
Townsend Griffin and her team “failed to present evidence during their direct case from which a properly instructed jury could conclude that any melodies in ‘Thinking Out Loud’ infringe any melodies in ‘Let’s Get It On,'” Sheeran’s lawyers said in the filing Thursday.
Judge Louis Stanton said he’ll wait until Sheeran’s team finishes its defense case before making a ruling.
Ed Sheeran’s lawyers say a judge should toss the suit against him. Alec Tabak
Sheeran has been in Manhattan federal court defending against a copyright infringement suit claiming he ripped off Marvin Gaye’s song “Let’s Get It On.” Alec Tabak
Plaintiff Kathryn Townsend Griffin claims Sheeran ripped off parts of the song that her late dad, Ed Townsend, co-wrote with Gaye. Gregory P. Mango
Kathryn Townsend Griffin arrives at the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse on April 25, 2023. Alec TabakTownsend Griffin’s lawyer Pat Frank told The Post the move by Sheeran’s team “is yet another desperate attempt by the defendants to prevent a jury from being allowed to properly deliberate because they know full well that any such jury exercising common sense and their own eyes and ears will arrive at the conclusion that is already well known throughout music industry circles — Ed Sheeran stole ‘Let’s Get It On’ when he wrote ‘Thinking Out Loud.'”
The singer-songwriter –- who has testified that he’d have to be “quite an idiot” to rip off Gaye’s song — is set to continue on the stand Monday. The trial was on a break Friday.
The trial was abruptly halted Wednesday afternoon when Townsend Griffin collapsed in the courtroom and was wheeled out on a gurney by EMTs. She was not in court Thursday.
