Ed Sheeran continues his legal triumphs as a federal judge dismissed a second copyright case accusing him of copying Marvin Gaye‘s “Let’s Get It On.”
U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton, who ruled last fall that Sheeran would face a jury trial for this second case, surprised everyone by reversing himself and dismissing the case without a trial. The judge determined that the combination of elements allegedly stolen by Sheeran, a chord progression and harmonic rhythm, was not unique enough to be protected by copyright law.
“It is an unassailable reality that the chord progression and harmonic rhythm in ‘Let’s Get It On’ are so commonplace, in isolation and in combination, that to protect their combination would give ‘Let’s Get It On’ an impermissible monopoly over a basic musical building block,” Judge Stanton wrote, according to Billboard, echoing the arguments that Sheeran’s attorneys made throughout last month’s trial.
The recent verdict comes less than two weeks after a jury cleared him, and his co-writer Amy Wadge, of infringement on the popular song and millions of dollars in potential damages. However, there is still the possibility of appeals for both the previous verdict and the recent ruling.
Structured Asset Sales, an entity owned by industry executive David Pullman that owns a separate one-third stake in Ed Townsend’s copyrights — the man who co-write “Let’s Get It On” — is pursuing a third case based on a different copyright covering Gaye’s famous recorded version of the song.
Following the ruling, Pullman, in an interview with Billboard, expressed his company’s intention to appeal Tuesday’s decision on various grounds. He emphasized their determination to pursue the third case, which had been put on hold during the proceedings of the other cases.
Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Related Posts
Barbra Streisand explains Ozempic comment: “I forgot the world is reading!”
April 30, 2024
Melissa McCarthy and Barbra Streisand in 2016; Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for BSBWhile she was around…
Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni appear in ‘It Ends With Us’ first-look images
April 30, 2024
Sony PicturesFirst-look images for the highly anticipated film It Ends With Us have arrived.Images…
‘The Idea of You’ star Nicholas Galitzine names his favorite boy band song
April 30, 2024
Prime VideoIn the new movie The Idea of You, Anne Hathaway plays a 40-year-old mom who falls in…
Margot Robbie could go from Barbie to an angel in comic book adaptation ‘Avengelyne’
April 30, 2024
Disney/Scott KirklandDon't Worry Darling director Olivia Wilde and X-Men movie producer Simon…
Chris Hemsworth talks health, the disappointment of ‘Thor 4’ and more in ‘Vanity Fair’
April 30, 2024
'Furiosa' stars Anya Taylor-Joy and Hemsworth -- Disney/Greg Williams)In an extensive cover piece,…
Get the story behind Selena Gomez’s delicious love note from Benny Blanco
April 30, 2024
Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesOn her Instagram Story Monday, Selena Gomez…
Prime Video’s ‘Fallout’ attracts 65 million viewers
April 30, 2024
Prime VideoFallout's April 10 debut was so big that Prime Video renewed the sci-fi series for a…
Katy Perry wants fans to have “strong feelings” about her music, not her haircut
April 30, 2024
Disney/Eric McCandlessKaty Perry appeared on American Idol on April 29 with a shoulder-length shag…