Less than two weeks after a jury found that Ed Sheeran’s hit song “Thinking Out Loud” did not copy Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On,” a federal judge has dismissed a second copyright case accusing the singer of copying the same 1973 track, Reuters reports.
Although U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton had previously ruled that Sheeran would need to face a jury trial in the second case, the judge reversed the decision and dismissed the case brought by Structured Asset Sales on Tuesday.
Stanton, who presided over...
Although U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton had previously ruled that Sheeran would need to face a jury trial in the second case, the judge reversed the decision and dismissed the case brought by Structured Asset Sales on Tuesday.
Stanton, who presided over...
- 5/17/2023
- by Charisma Madarang
- Rollingstone.com
New York, May 4 (Ians) Ed Sheeran was acquitted on Thursday (US East Coast Time) in the Manhattan federal court in New York City on a charge that he plagiarised the Marvin Gaye ’70s hit ‘Lets Get It On’ for his own ‘Thinking Out Loud’, reports ‘Variety’.
The verdict that found him not liable for copyright infringement came after just a few hours of deliberation, adda ‘Variety’. The jury had officially begun deliberations after closing arguments on Wednesday evening, although, as it was after 5 p.m., the judge held them just long enough for a get-acquainted session before sending them home for the night.
U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton had sent the Manhattan jury into deliberations with a pointed admonition: “Independent creation is a complete defence, no matter how similar that song is.”
Stanton’s instructions, according to ‘Variety’, left a high bar in the jury’s minds for...
The verdict that found him not liable for copyright infringement came after just a few hours of deliberation, adda ‘Variety’. The jury had officially begun deliberations after closing arguments on Wednesday evening, although, as it was after 5 p.m., the judge held them just long enough for a get-acquainted session before sending them home for the night.
U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton had sent the Manhattan jury into deliberations with a pointed admonition: “Independent creation is a complete defence, no matter how similar that song is.”
Stanton’s instructions, according to ‘Variety’, left a high bar in the jury’s minds for...
- 5/4/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Ed Sheeran has prevailed in a lawsuit claiming his song “Thinking Out Loud” copied Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.”
After three hours of deliberation, a Manhattan jury decided that Sheeran’s 2014 hit was “independently created” and did not steal elements from Gaye’s 1973 song. Sheeran’s lawyer Ilene Farkas said the similar chord progression was akin to “the letters of the alphabet of music,” adding that “these are basic musical building blocks that songwriters now and forever must be free to use, or all of us who love music will be poorer for it.”
Following the decision, Sheeran joked about “not having to retire from my day job after all” before delivering a statement about his frustration with “baseless claims like this” being allowed “to go to court at all.” He continued by saying, “We’ve spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics,...
After three hours of deliberation, a Manhattan jury decided that Sheeran’s 2014 hit was “independently created” and did not steal elements from Gaye’s 1973 song. Sheeran’s lawyer Ilene Farkas said the similar chord progression was akin to “the letters of the alphabet of music,” adding that “these are basic musical building blocks that songwriters now and forever must be free to use, or all of us who love music will be poorer for it.”
Following the decision, Sheeran joked about “not having to retire from my day job after all” before delivering a statement about his frustration with “baseless claims like this” being allowed “to go to court at all.” He continued by saying, “We’ve spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics,...
- 5/4/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Music
The Ed Sheeran copyright infringement trial wrapped up testimony at the end of the court day, as the judge sent the Manhattan jury into deliberations with a pointed admonition: “Independent creation is a complete defense, no matter how similar that song is.”
U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton’s instructions may have left a high bar in the jury’s minds for just how much evidence the plaintiffs’ attorneys needed to have established to prove that Sheeran and his co-writer actually copied Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ when they wrote the pop hit ‘Thinking Out Loud’, reports ‘Variety’.
According to Insider, Stanton told jurors that the lawyers for the heirs of Gaye’s co-writer, Ed Townsend, needed to “prove by a preponderance of the evidence… that Sheeran actually copied and wrongfully copied ‘Let’s Get It On'” – as opposed to the coincidental, negligible similarities argued by Sheeran’s attorneys.
U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton’s instructions may have left a high bar in the jury’s minds for just how much evidence the plaintiffs’ attorneys needed to have established to prove that Sheeran and his co-writer actually copied Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’ when they wrote the pop hit ‘Thinking Out Loud’, reports ‘Variety’.
According to Insider, Stanton told jurors that the lawyers for the heirs of Gaye’s co-writer, Ed Townsend, needed to “prove by a preponderance of the evidence… that Sheeran actually copied and wrongfully copied ‘Let’s Get It On'” – as opposed to the coincidental, negligible similarities argued by Sheeran’s attorneys.
- 5/4/2023
- by Agency News Desk
- GlamSham
Ed Sheeran is in the midst of trial for a lawsuit that claims his song “Thinking Out Loud” rips off the Marvin Gaye classic “Let’s Get It On.” His attorneys have spent the past few months unsuccessfully trying to get the case dismissed, but now, he’s raising the stakes by threatening to quit music entirely if he’s found guilty of copyright infringement.
Per New York Post, when Sheeran’s attorney asked what he’d do if the plaintiffs won the case, he responded: “If that happens, I’m done. I’m stopping… I find it really insulting to work my whole life as a singer-songwriter and diminish it.”
Sheeran has vehemently insisted that any similarities between his 2014 hit and Gaye’s 1973 song are purely coincidental, and that those similarities were too common to constitute copyright infringement. To drive his point home, he reportedly “belted out various mashups...
Per New York Post, when Sheeran’s attorney asked what he’d do if the plaintiffs won the case, he responded: “If that happens, I’m done. I’m stopping… I find it really insulting to work my whole life as a singer-songwriter and diminish it.”
Sheeran has vehemently insisted that any similarities between his 2014 hit and Gaye’s 1973 song are purely coincidental, and that those similarities were too common to constitute copyright infringement. To drive his point home, he reportedly “belted out various mashups...
- 5/2/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Music
Ed Sheeran took the stand on Tuesday in a New York courtroom, denying accusations that his hit song “Thinking Out Loud,” copied Marvin Gaye’s soul classic “Let’s Get It On.”
A lawyer defending the estate of a co-writer of Gaye’s 1973 song said he had “smoking gun” evidence that Ed Sheeran took elements of the Seventies classic on his 2014 single during his opening statement in the civil trial against the musician.
Attorney Ben Crump made the remarks during the court hearing where the British star’s attorneys claimed...
A lawyer defending the estate of a co-writer of Gaye’s 1973 song said he had “smoking gun” evidence that Ed Sheeran took elements of the Seventies classic on his 2014 single during his opening statement in the civil trial against the musician.
Attorney Ben Crump made the remarks during the court hearing where the British star’s attorneys claimed...
- 4/25/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Fox News has reached a settlement with Venezuelan businessman Majed Khalil, who filed a defamation lawsuit over a Lou Dobbs tweet and broadcast linking him to rigging the 2020 presidential election.
The lawsuit has been a bit of a sidelight to separate and more widely publicized defamation cases brought against the network by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, after hosts and guests amplified claims that the companies were involved in voter fraud. Jury selection in the Dominion case is scheduled to start this week.
“The parties are pleased to jointly inform the court that they have reached a confidential agreement to resolve this matter,” attorneys for Khalil and the network wrote in a filing to U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton. “The parties anticipate filing a joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice early next week.”
Dobbs and Fox Corp. also were named as defendant’s in Khalil’s lawsuit.
In his defamation claim,...
The lawsuit has been a bit of a sidelight to separate and more widely publicized defamation cases brought against the network by Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic, after hosts and guests amplified claims that the companies were involved in voter fraud. Jury selection in the Dominion case is scheduled to start this week.
“The parties are pleased to jointly inform the court that they have reached a confidential agreement to resolve this matter,” attorneys for Khalil and the network wrote in a filing to U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton. “The parties anticipate filing a joint stipulation of dismissal with prejudice early next week.”
Dobbs and Fox Corp. also were named as defendant’s in Khalil’s lawsuit.
In his defamation claim,...
- 4/9/2023
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
A federal judge has ordered Ed Sheeran to stand trial over accusations that his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” ripped off Marvin Gaye’s iconic “Let’s Get It On”.
Billboard reports that Judge Louis Stanton denied a request by Sheeran’s lawyers to drop the case, which was first filed back in 2018; the judge was not swayed by the arguments of Sheeran’s attorneys that the suit was invalid because the various elements the singer-songwriter was alleged to have lifted from Gaye’s 1973 hit weren’t unique enough to covered by copyright.
“There is no bright-line rule that the combination of two unprotectable elements is insufficiently numerous to constitute an original work,” the judge wrote in his ruling. “A work may be copyrightable even though it is entirely a compilation of unprotectable elements.”
Read More: Ed Sheeran Accused Of Ripping Off Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’, Jury To Decide 100-Million Lawsuit,...
Billboard reports that Judge Louis Stanton denied a request by Sheeran’s lawyers to drop the case, which was first filed back in 2018; the judge was not swayed by the arguments of Sheeran’s attorneys that the suit was invalid because the various elements the singer-songwriter was alleged to have lifted from Gaye’s 1973 hit weren’t unique enough to covered by copyright.
“There is no bright-line rule that the combination of two unprotectable elements is insufficiently numerous to constitute an original work,” the judge wrote in his ruling. “A work may be copyrightable even though it is entirely a compilation of unprotectable elements.”
Read More: Ed Sheeran Accused Of Ripping Off Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get It On’, Jury To Decide 100-Million Lawsuit,...
- 10/1/2022
- by Brent Furdyk
- ET Canada
Six long years after Ed Sheeran was first hit with a copyright infringement lawsuit over his hit “Thinking Out Loud,” a federal judge denied Sheeran’s request to toss the case and ordered the case to trial.
In 2016, the estate of Ed Townsend, Marvin Gaye’s co-writer on “Let’s Get It On,” sued Sheeran over similarities between that classic and his “Thinking Out Loud”; that case is still pending.
Structured Asset Sales, which owns a one-third stake in Townsend’s copyrights, filed a similar lawsuit in 2018, and that’s...
In 2016, the estate of Ed Townsend, Marvin Gaye’s co-writer on “Let’s Get It On,” sued Sheeran over similarities between that classic and his “Thinking Out Loud”; that case is still pending.
Structured Asset Sales, which owns a one-third stake in Townsend’s copyrights, filed a similar lawsuit in 2018, and that’s...
- 9/30/2022
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Ed Sheeran must argue his case in front of a jury, a judge has ruled, after being accused of lifting elements of his song “Thinking Out Loud” from Marvin Gaye’s iconic 1973 track, “Let’s Get It On”.
Sheeran’s lawyers had previously sought to have the claim thrown out of court, saying the alleged stolen parts of the song were “commonplace”.
In a ruling on Thursday (29 September), Judge Louis Stanton said, “There is no bright-line rule that the combination of two unprotectable elements is insufficiently numerous to constitute an original work,” per Billboard’s initial report.
“A work may be copyrightable even though it is entirely a compilation of unprotectable elements.”
The Independent has contacted representatives for Sheeran for comment.
The lawsuit, filed by an entity called Structured Asset Sales that owns a partial stake in Gaye’s famous song, seeks 100m (£90m) in damages. The lawsuit claimed that...
Sheeran’s lawyers had previously sought to have the claim thrown out of court, saying the alleged stolen parts of the song were “commonplace”.
In a ruling on Thursday (29 September), Judge Louis Stanton said, “There is no bright-line rule that the combination of two unprotectable elements is insufficiently numerous to constitute an original work,” per Billboard’s initial report.
“A work may be copyrightable even though it is entirely a compilation of unprotectable elements.”
The Independent has contacted representatives for Sheeran for comment.
The lawsuit, filed by an entity called Structured Asset Sales that owns a partial stake in Gaye’s famous song, seeks 100m (£90m) in damages. The lawsuit claimed that...
- 9/30/2022
- by Tom Murray
- The Independent - Music
A federal judge ruled that a Venezuelan businessman can move forward with his defamation lawsuit against Fox News and Lou Dobbs over claims that he was involved in rigging the 2020 presidential election.
U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton rejected the defendants efforts to dismiss the case, finding that the businessman, Majed Khalil, “adequately alleges that Fox may be held liable for the defamatory claims.” Read the opinion here.
Stanton’s decision means that the case can proceed, with a jury ultimately left to decide on the merits if it goes to trial.
In his lawsuit, Khalil cited a Dec. 10, 2020, tweet on Dobbs’ account in which he wrote that the election was a “Cyber Pearl Harbor.” The tweet included a document in which Khalil is named as the “effective ‘COO’ of the election project, under Chavez and Maduro. Khalil is a liaison with Hezbollah.”
Later that day, Dobbs interviewed Powell, who...
U.S. District Judge Louis Stanton rejected the defendants efforts to dismiss the case, finding that the businessman, Majed Khalil, “adequately alleges that Fox may be held liable for the defamatory claims.” Read the opinion here.
Stanton’s decision means that the case can proceed, with a jury ultimately left to decide on the merits if it goes to trial.
In his lawsuit, Khalil cited a Dec. 10, 2020, tweet on Dobbs’ account in which he wrote that the election was a “Cyber Pearl Harbor.” The tweet included a document in which Khalil is named as the “effective ‘COO’ of the election project, under Chavez and Maduro. Khalil is a liaison with Hezbollah.”
Later that day, Dobbs interviewed Powell, who...
- 9/27/2022
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
The four major U.S. broadcast networks — ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox — have emerged victorious in a lawsuit against Locast, a nonprofit that enables — or they say, basically steals — local TV streams.
Plaintiffs — the stations — asked a judge to throw out Locast’s claim that its online service is legally exempt from copyright infringement liability because it only seeks donations, not fees, from users, and only enough to keep its business running. Locast wanted a finding that it is exempt.
“Plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment is granted . Defendants’ motion for summary judgment is denied,” wrote Judge Louis Stanton of the Southern District of New York in a ruling today.
Locast users pay it a minimum $5 monthly fee in exchange for month-long , uninterrupted service which the judge refused to categorize as “merely a recurring gift to a charitable cause.” Locast “still solicits, and receives, substantial amounts in charges from recipients for its uninterrupted service.
Plaintiffs — the stations — asked a judge to throw out Locast’s claim that its online service is legally exempt from copyright infringement liability because it only seeks donations, not fees, from users, and only enough to keep its business running. Locast wanted a finding that it is exempt.
“Plaintiffs’ motion for partial summary judgment is granted . Defendants’ motion for summary judgment is denied,” wrote Judge Louis Stanton of the Southern District of New York in a ruling today.
Locast users pay it a minimum $5 monthly fee in exchange for month-long , uninterrupted service which the judge refused to categorize as “merely a recurring gift to a charitable cause.” Locast “still solicits, and receives, substantial amounts in charges from recipients for its uninterrupted service.
- 8/31/2021
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.