Ed Sheeran says he will quit music if found guilty of plagiarising song

Ed Sheeran has claimed that he will quit music “altogether” if found guilty of plagiarism in a new lawsuit being brought against him by the estate of Marvin Gaye.

In recent news, Ed Sheeran has found himself in some hot water after being served a lawsuit from the Marvin Gaye estate that claims the pop star has ripped off one of Gaye’s most popular songs ‘Let’s Get It On’.  Sheeran took the stand in New York last week against Kathryn Townsend Griffin, daughter of Ed Townsend, who worked on the Gaye track, to which he argued that his song ‘Thinking Out Loud’ does not pose any copyright violations.

Townsend alleges that the song has “striking similarities” and “overt common elements” that violate the copyright rules.  Despite the claims, Ed Sheeran has shared with his lawyer that if he is found guilty he will swear off music altogether.  “If that happens, I’m done, I’m stopping,” he told his lawyer, Ilene Farkas. “I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it.”

During his questioning, he was also asked about his other song ‘Take It Back’, to which the lyrics in the song state “plagiarism is hidden”.  Sheeran asked if he could clarify those lyrics, to which she did not let him respond.

Farkas argued that the songs may use a similar chord progression, but that it was common among artists and is also not filed under a copyright violation.  During Sheeran’s questioning, he stated, “I mash up songs at lots of gigs. Many songs have similar chords. You can go from ‘Let It Be’ to ‘No Woman No Cry’ and switch back. And quite frankly, if I’d done what you’re accusing me of doing, I’d be quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that.”

Image Credit: Kamil_Took via Flickr | License: Public Domain Mark 1.0