Ed Sheeran ready to testify in court over Marvin Gaye’s song copyright trial

Ed Sheeran is all set to testify in court as the trial over the singer’s alleged copying of Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On begins in New York on April 24.

Earlier in 2017, Sheeran was sued by the heirs of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s co-writer. The heirs of Ed Townsend alleged that Sheeran’s 2014 hit Thinking Out Loud has “striking similarities” to Let’s Get It On that violate the song’s copyright.

Sheeran’s lawyers mentioned that the songs’ “structural symmetry points only to the foundations of popular music”.

“The two songs share versions of a similar and unprotected chord progression that was freely available to all songwriters,” read the court filing.

The lawsuit began on Monday in the Manhattan federal courtroom and Sheeran to testify in the case, which is going to last for a week.

According to Independent, the jury in this case are asked to “take in the raw elements of melody, harmony and rhythm” while discussing about the legal similarities between the two songs.

Sheeran’s lawyers Simon Goodbody and Andrew Forbes added, “The judgment is an emphatic vindication of the creative genius of Ed, Johnny and Steve – as they have always maintained, they created Shape Of You together, without copying from anyone else.”

Meanwhile, four women and three men will serve as the jury as Sheeran has been accused of using Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On to create his hit track Thinking Out Loud.