Ed Sheeran is currently in the middle of a headline-making copyright trial, and its outcome could have a long-term impact on his career. The British hitmaker said he’ll quit music if he loses the trial that claims he plagiarized elements of Marvin Gaye’s smash hit “Let’s Get It On”.
Sheeran is currently facing a trial for alleged copyright infringement over his song “Thinking Out Loud”. He’s being sued by several heirs to the Ed Townsend estate, who co-wrote Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”, alleging that Sheeran stole the elements of the original song.
The Ed Townsend estate previously sued Sheeran on the same grounds back in 2017, but the case was promptly dismissed. Sheeran admitted that the lawsuit is taking a toll on him, and said he’ll consider quitting music if he’s proven guilty.
“If that happens, I’m done. I’m stopping. To have someone come in and say, ‘We don’t believe you, you must have stolen it’… I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it,” said Sheeran during the court proceedings.
Just last year, Sheeran was involved in another copyright trial, regarding “Shape of You”. He later said that lawsuits like this one are “really damaging to the songwriting industry” because there are only so many notes and very few chords used in modern pop music.
