Ed Sheeran has settled a copyright infringement lawsuit over his hit song “Photograph”. Sheeran has been the subject of several high profile copyright infringement claims. Is he a copycat, a deep-pocketed target, or the writer of hits pop songs that just inherently sound familiar.
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British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has agreed to settle a $20 million copyright infringement lawsuit filed against him over his hit song “Photograph”.
Songwriters Thomas Leonard and Martin Harrington filed the lawsuit against Sheeran last June, claiming that Sheeran’s hit was very similar in structure to their own song Amazing.
In their suit, the two songwriters contended that Sheeran’s song shared 39 identical notes with their own work and was “instantly recognizable to the ordinary observer”. Leonard and Harrington’s track was recorded by former X Factor winner Matt Cardle in 2012.
The terms of the settlement were not disclosed and Richard Busch, the attorney for the plaintiffs declined to comment to the BBC on the matter. Sheeran’s label, Atlantic Records, also declined to comment on the case.
You might recognize the name Richard Busch. He represented the estate of the late soul singer Marvin Gaye when it sued Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams for copyright infringement over their hit Blurred Lines.
via Celebrity Access