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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Lauren Gordon

Ed Sheeran issues heartbreaking statement after winning copyright court battle

Ed Sheeran has shared his thoughts after a Manhattan jury found that he was not liable for copyright infringement.

"It looks like I’m not going to have to give up my day job after all,” he told reporters outside of the court.

Referencing the fact he had to miss his beloved grandmother's funeral due to the court case, Ed declared: "I will never get that time back."

A Manhattan jury found that Ed was no liable for copyright infringement after he was accused of copying the harmonic progressions, melodic and rhythmic elements of Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On without permission for his hit track Thinking Out Loud.

Ed was being sued by the heirs of Ed Townsend who was the songwriter who composed the 1973 slow jam classic.

The lawsuit was initially filed in 2017 but took six years to finally reach a federal court.

Ed broke his silence (Getty Images)

Ed denied plagiarism and his lawyers argued that the song uses common constructions that can be found in many pop tracks. Durin the court battle, Ed reportedly said that he would quit music if he lost the case.

The 32-year-old was forced to miss his grandmother's funeral amid the trial and his father was said to have told attendees that he was "so upset" that his son couldn't make it due to being in New York for the case.

“I am very sad that our son Edward is unable to be here today. He’s so upset that he cannot be present,” he said.

Ed spoke about missing his grandmother's funeral (Getty Images)

During the trial Ed criticised his own guitar-playing skills as he explained his songwriting process to the court and apologised to onlookers after accidentally bashing the mic with his hand, saying: "I’m not the world’s most talented guitar player.”

As a testament to his talent, his wife Cherry Seaborn revealed that he wrote seven songs in just four hours after hearing about her cancer diagnosis.

She said: "Some people write a diary and get their emotions out through the pen and, for Eds, if something really intense happens, he’ll go and write a song."

The family of composer Ed Townsend had accused Ed of copyright (Getty Images)

Cherry was diagnosed with a tumour in 2022 while carrying the couple's second child. She has undergone surgery for the tumour and is recovering.

With his Subtract album due to be released this week, Ed told Rolling Stone magazine that he's "slowly" making his posthumous album.

“I want to slowly make this album that is quote-unquote ‘perfect’ for the rest of my life, adding songs here and there,” he said. “And just have it in my will that after I die, it comes out.”

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