Ed Sheeran joked about his recent vow to quit music if he was found guilty in the lawsuit around his song Thinking Out Loud after a jury ruled in his favour.
For the past two weeks, the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter had been embroiled in a very public court case following allegations that his 2014 hit violates the copyright of the Marvin Gaye classic Let’s Get It On.
The lawsuit was brought about by the heirs of the late music producer Ed Townsend, who co-wrote Let’s Get It On with Marvin Gaye in the early 70s.
On Thursday afternoon, the jurors ruled in Ed’s favour, finding he had not infringed on the family’s copyright interest in Let’s Get It On.
Following this, he made a public statement, which began: “I’m obviously very happy with the outcome of this case and it looks like I’m not going to have to retire from my day job after all.”
Earlier in the week, Ed told the court he would step away from the music industry were he to be found guilty.
“If that happens, I’m done, I’m stopping,” he claimed, adding: “I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it.”
Speaking after the jury’s ruling, he added: “I am absolutely frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all.”
“Having to be in New York for this trial has meant that I have missed being with my family at my grandmother’s funeral in Ireland. I won’t get that time back,” he continued.
“We need songwriters and the wider musical community to come together to celebrate and support creativity.
“These claims and the people who manipulate songwriters for their own gain need to be stopped so that the creative process can carry on and we can all get back to making music. I am not and never will allow myself to be a piggy bank for someone to shake.”
Ed went on to thank the jury for “making the decision that will help protect the creative process of songwriters here in the United States and all around the world”, as well as “all the songwriters, musicians and fans who have reached out with messages of support” for him.
Last year, Ed faced a similar lawsuit over accusations he and his co-writers ripped off the 2015 single Oh Why by Sam Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue on Ed’s signature tune Shape Of You.
In that instance, a judge also ruled in the Castle On The Hill singer’s favour, stating that the writing team on Shape On You had neither “deliberately nor subconsciously” copied a section of Oh Why while creating their tune.
On Friday, Ed released his fifth studio album, – (pronounced Subtract). The collection was preceded by lead single Eyes Closed, which peaked at number one in the UK singles chart upon its release in March.