Ed Sheeran's 2014 hit Thinking Out Loud did not unlawfully copy Marvin Gaye's 1973 song Let's Get It On, a US jury has decided.
In the closely watched copyright lawsuit, the jury in the federal court in Manhattan determined the heirs of Let's Get It On songwriter Ed Townsend had not proven that Sheeran had infringed his copyright interest in the Gaye song.
Here's how the British singer's trial unfolded.
What was Ed Sheeran sued for?
Townsend's heirs sued Sheeran for copyright infringement in 2017, contending that Thinking Out Loud copied the "heart" of Gaye's song including its melody, harmony and rhythm.
Townsend was a singer, songwriter and lawyer. He died in 2003.
Sheeran's attorneys argued the songs' undeniable structural symmetry pointed only to the common foundations of popular music.
"The two songs share versions of a similar and unprotectable chord progression that was freely available to all songwriters," Sheeran's lawyers said in a court filing.
What was Sheeran's reaction to the verdict?
The verdict came after a six-day trial and fewer than three hours of deliberations.
The jury determined that Townsend's heirs had not proven that Sheeran, his label Warner Music Group and his music publisher Sony Music Publishing had infringed their copyright interest in the Gaye song.
Sheeran hugged his attorneys in the courtroom after the verdict was read.
"It's devastating to be accused of stealing someone else's song when we've put so much work into our livelihoods," Sheeran said outside the courthouse following the verdict.
"I want to thank the jury for making the decision that will help protect the creative process for songwriters here in the United States and all around the world."
Lawyers for Townsend's heirs did not immediately respond to a request for comment after the verdict.
Sheeran says he's 'not a piggy bank to shake'
The pop superstar hailed the decision as a win for songwriters.
He described himself as "just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy" and will never allow himself to be "a piggy bank for anyone to shake".
“I am 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," he read from a prepared statement.
"But at the same time, I am unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all."
Sheeran's lawyer Ilene Farkas told the jurors in court that similarities in the chord progressions and rhythms of Gaye's classic and Sheeran's hit Thinking Out Loud were "the letters of the alphabet of music".
"These are basic musical building blocks that songwriters now and forever must be free to use, or all of us who love music will be poorer for it," she said.
What did the jury have to consider?
Throughout the trial, the jury heard the recordings of both songs.
However, their lyrics were legally insignificant.
This was because jurors were only asked to consider the raw elements of melody, harmony and rhythm that made up the composition of Let's Get It On.
What was the evidence against Sheeran?
For starters, there was a video of Sheeran performing a medley of his song, Thinking Out Loud, and Gaye's Let's Get It On on stage back in 2014.
Lawyers for Townsend's heirs kicked the trial off by playing the video in court.
Their aim was to bolster their allegation that Sheeran, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Publishing owed them a share of the profits for allegedly copying the song.
One lawyer for Townsend's heirs, Ben Crump, told jurors that the merging of the two songs was tantamount to "a confession".
Crump said it was the "smoking gun" proving Sheeran stole from the famous tune.
How did Sheeran's team defend this?
In her closing argument, Farkas said Crump's "smoking gun was shooting blanks".
She said the only common elements between the two songs were "basic to the toolkit of all songwriters" and "the scaffolding on which all songwriting is built".
"They did not copy it. Not consciously. Not unconsciously. Not at all," Farkas said.
When Sheeran testified over two days for the defence, he repeatedly picked up a guitar resting behind him on the witness stand to demonstrate how he seamlessly creates "mashups" of songs during concerts to "spice it up a bit" for his sizeable crowds.
He explained it was common practice for musicians to weave other artists' songs into their live shows.
Two more lawsuits against Sheeran currently pending
Two similar lawsuits are pending against Sheeran in Manhattan.
They have been brought by investment banker and Bowie Bonds creator David Pullman's Structured Asset Sales, which also owns copyright interests in the Gaye song.
Last year, Sheeran won a trial in London in a separate copyright case over another one of his songs, Shape of You.
In 2015, Gaye's heirs claimed a legal victory when a jury in Los Angeles agreed the Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams song Blurred Lines copied Gaye's Got to Give It Up.
ABC/wires
