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Ed Sheeran hit with $100M suit for track ripoff
A massive song by Ed Sheeran is now at the center of a massive lawsuit.
The pop star was hit with a $100 million complaint that accuses him of swiping key components from Marvin Gaye's seminal track “Let's Get It On” and using them for his own song “Thinking Out Loud,” TMZ reported.
The suit – which was filed by Structured Asset Sales, which owns a third of the rights to “Let's Get It On” – alleges Sheeran employed identical elements of Gaye's song, including its melody, bassline, harmonies and more, in “Thinking Out Loud.”
A rep for Sheeran did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This is the second time Sheeran, 27, has been accused of stealing from Gaye's 1973 hit. He was also sued nearly two years ago by the heirs of the song's co-writer, Ed Townsend, but the suit was thrown out by a judge in February 2017.
“Thinking Out Loud” is one of Sheeran's most popular songs, and it won him a pair of Grammys — song of the year and best pop solo performance — in 2016. The track was released in 2014 as part of Sheeran's “X” album.
In 2016, Sheeran was also accused of ripping off a song called “Amazing” for another one of his most notable works, “Photograph.” The writers of “Amazing” sued for $20 million, and they reached an undisclosed settlement with Sheeran last year.