Sheeran did not “intentionally or unwittingly” copy part of the melody of the song “Oh Why”, by whistleblowers Sami Chokri and Ross O’Donoghuesaid Judge Antony Zacaroli.
Wearing a suit and tie, Sheeran had attended the High Court in person on the first day of the process, on March 4, during which both titles were played and also, by mistake, an unpublished part of the pop hit.
The plaintiffs’ attorney, Andrew Sutcliffe, assured that “the similarity” between certain passages “is surprising”, they are “almost identical”, and accused Sheeran of being “a magpie”, in reference to this bird that is sometimes accused of thief.
“He borrows ideas and puts them into his songs, sometimes he admits it, sometimes he doesn’t,” he said. “It depends on who you are and if you think you can get away with it,” she added.
Sheeran and his songwriters, Steven McCutcheon and John McDaid, have denied the allegations. In May 2018, the three had asked the High Court to rule that copyright had not been infringed.
Two months later, Chokri and O’Donoghue in turn initiated legal proceedings against them.
Copyright payments for “Shape of You”, estimated at 20 million pounds (26 million dollars, 24 million euros) according to The Telegraph newspaper, were suspended by the body that manages them.
The song has around 3 billion listeners on Spotify and almost 6 billion views on YouTube.
In 2017, Ed Sheeran was also the world’s best-selling artist, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), with his third album “Divide”, which includes the single “Shape of You”.
Source: Ambito
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
