Two songwriters, Sami Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue accused popular British singer Ed Sheeran of using copied lines to make the hit 2017 song, Shape of you. They claimed that the singer took lines and phrases from their song ‘Oh Why’. In the first high court trial, the artists used the word ‘magpie’ for the Sheeran and said he borrows song ideas from the work of other musicians and singers. The court proceedings took place in 2017 when the accusers first took the matter to law. But in 2018, Ed Sheeran and co-creators including Steven McCutcheon and John McDaid of the shape of you requested the high court London to declare that they did not steal the artists’ work. The legal dispute between the artists and singer isn’t over as another trial is yet to begin soon.
Which Lines Did the Singer Ed Sheeran Copy?
The songwriter Sami and producer O’Donogue claimed that certain lines of Shape of you are identical to their Oh Why song which was released in 2015. This includes the lyrics “Oh I” in the song shape of you and “Oh why” are the identical hooks in the songs. They said during the trial that singer Ed Sheeran was aware of their song and thus used the words in his own masterpiece. Other than that, the accusers put forward their concern of being robbed by the Grammy winner since royalties of the song are also getting compromised for them.
What did the Lawyer Andrew Sutcliffe Say?
Singer Ed Sheeran, in order to defend himself, said that he hadn’t even heard of Sami AKA Sami Switch at the time he accused me of running into the copyright offense. However, the Lawyer Andrew Sutcliffe had a different argument to present. The barrister said that Ed knew the artist as they had met at the British online music platform, SBTV. In 2011, the singer shouted out Switches name as well upon the request of SBTV’s late founder, Jamal Edwards. In addition, the lawyer pointed towards Sheeran’s popularity and said it masks the names of unknown and unpopular singers.
What Did Ed Sheeran Say in His Defense?
In the trial session that took place on Friday, the lawyer addressed the singer Ed Sheeran directly and presented a few shreds of evidence before him to prove that he stole Sami Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue’s work to create his “Shape of You” song. The singer denied all the allegations and said “I don’t agree with that” . he confidently and patiently answered all the questions. He mentioned that even if I had heard “Oh Why” I would have referenced it. Ed added that he had been conscious of how to give credit to other singers when it comes to using similar lyrics or other musical aspects in his work. Moreover, he stated that the parts alleged to be similar are very short and entirely commonplace.
Trials Affecting Sheeran’s Reputation
Ed Sheeran is known for many hit songs and has been a Grammy award winner too. He has worked with many other musicians and singers as well. This includes Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s song “I don’t care tonight” which made fans go crazy. His fan following had skyrocketed after Shape of You was released. However, the singer with a net worth of more than £147million said that the recent trials were affecting his reputation big time.
