I’m not a piggy bank, says Sheeran after Gaye case win

ED SHEERAN hugged his lawyers after a New York jury found the British singer-songwriter had not plagiarised Motown star Marvin Gaye.

It had been alleged that Sheeran’s 2014 song Thinking Out Loud copied parts of Gaye’s classic Let’s Get It On.

Heirs of songwriter Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the song with Gaye, claimed Sheeran, 32, had used substantial chunks of the 1973 hit including its melody, harmony and rhythm.

Sheeran denied the claims and the Grammy-winning artist threatened to abandon the music industry if he lost.

“It is devastating to be accused of stealing other people’s songs when we put so much into our livelihoods,” Sheeran said afterwards outside the court.

“I am just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I will never allow myself to be a piggy bank for anyone to shake.”

The case, which was launched by Townsend’s family in 2017, was being watched closely by the music industry.

Ben Crump, representing Townsend’s heirs, cited a concert in Zurich where Sheeran morphed Thinking Out Loud into Let’s Get It On.

He described the video, which was played to the jury, as the “smoking gun” as he claimed a share of the profits Sheeran had earned from the song.

This was dismissed by Sheeran, who said artists frequently played “mashups” during live performances to spice up the show.

Townsend, who also wrote the 1958 hit For Your Love, died in 2003.

Two similar cases are pending against Sheeran in Manhattan, brought by investment banker and Bowie Bonds creator David Pullman’s Structured Asset Sales LLC, which also owns copyright interests in the Gaye song.