Ed Sheeran didn't copy Marvin Gaye hit, jury concludes

A New York jury concluded Thursday that British pop singer Ed Sheeran did not copy key parts of the 1970s Marvin Gaye classic "Let’s Get It On" in crafting his recent hit "Thinking Out Loud."

The verdict that Sheeran did not commit copyright infringement concluded a two-week trial that included a courtroom performance by Sheeran.

The lawsuit was by the heirs of songwriter Ed Townsend, who with Gaye created the 1973 soul classic. They argued that "Thinking Out Loud" had so many similarities to “Let’s Get It On” that it violated the song’s copyright protection, according to the Associated Press. 

Sheeran’s song won the 2014 Grammy for song of the year. Gaye was killed in 1984, at age 44, when he was shot by his  father as he tried to intervene in a fight between his parents, the wire service also reports.