Ed Sheeran sued for 20m
Ed Sheeran is being sued for $20 million.
The 25-year-old singer/songwriter has been hit with a lawsuit by Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard who claim that his track ‘Photograph’ "note-for-note" copies their 2009 song ‘Amazing’, which was released by UK ‘X Factor’ winner Matt Cardle.
Attorney Richard Busch, who recently represented the family of Marvin Gaye in the ‘Blurred Lines’ copyright case, filed a lawsuit on behalf of the pair in federal court in Los Angeles on Wednesday (06.08.16).
The lawsuit states: "The chorus sections of ‘Amazing’ and the infringing ‘Photograph’ share 39 identical notes – meaning the notes are identical in pitch, rhythmic duration, and placement in the measure.
"The songs’ similarities reach the very essence of the work. The similarities go beyond substantial, which is itself sufficient to establish copyright infringement, and are in fact striking. The similarity of words, vocal style, vocal melody, melody, and rhythm are clear indicators, among other things, that ‘Photograph’ copies ‘Amazing’."
Ed’s co-writer Johnny McDaid, publishers Sony/ATV Songs and Polar Patrol Music, touring company Nathan Cable Touring and record label Warner Music Group have all been named in the lawsuit.
Last year Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay $7.3 million in copyright infringement due to similarities between their number one single ‘Blurred Lines’ and Gaye’s ‘Got To Give It Up’.
However, both Robin and Pharrell denied any wrong-doing and insisted they would battle the decision.
Their lawyer, Howard King, said at the time: "We owe it to songwriters around the world to make sure this verdict doesn’t stand.
"My clients know that they wrote the song ‘Blurred Lines’ from their hearts and souls and no other source.
"We are going to exercise every post trial remedy we have to make sure this verdict does not stand. We look at it as being in the seventh inning of a game that could go into extra innings."
The payout was reduced on appeal but the Marvin Gaye estate receives 50 per cent of publishing and songwriting revenues from ‘Blurred Lines’.
