A federal appeals court ruled in favor of singer Ed Sheeran in a case that accused him of plagiarizing music from a five-decade-old song.
The case revolves around “Thinking Out Loud,” co-written by Sheeran in 2014, said a Nov. 1 ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. The hit number went on to garner billions of streaming views and win two Grammy Awards. Structured Asset Sales (SAS), which owns interest in royalties from the 1973 song “Let’s Get It On,” filed a lawsuit in 2018, accusing Sheeran of copying certain musical components.
SAS alleged that the chord progression and harmonic rhythm of the two songs are similar. Sheeran moved for summary judgment, which is a court decision made on evidence and statements alone without the case needing a full trial….