Townsend’s family claims Sheeran stole the melody, harmony and rhythm form the song for his hit “Thinking Out Loud”.
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Heirs of the composer for Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” sued British musician Ed Sheeran on Tuesday, claiming his hit song “Thinking Out Loud” copies core elements of the late soul singer’s 1973 track. They also say that Sheeran’s song is “substantially and strikingly similar to Marvin Gaye’s”.
The Townsend’s lawsuit comes just months after songwriters Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard sued Sheeran for million for plagiarism.
Representatives for defendants Sheeran, Sony (Hanover: SON1.HA – news) /ATV Music Publishing, and Atlantic Records did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The pair claimed Sheeran’s X hit “Photograph” bore “verbatim note-for-note” similarities to their song, “Amazing”, recorded by X Factor victor Matt Cardle in 2012 (Cardle, however, has distanced himself from the lawsuit).
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The latest lawsuit comes with some weight – Gaye’s heirs successfully sued Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke past year (15) after accusing the hitmakers of ripping off their father’s Got To Give It Up in the hit song Blurred Lines.
