CULTURE
Ed Sheeran wins copyright lawsuit over 2017 hit "Shape of You"
Baku, April 7, AZERTAC
Ed Sheeran has won a copyright lawsuit over his song "Shape of You." Artist Sami Chokri, known as Sami Switch, claimed Sheeran's 2017 hit plagiarized his 2015 song "Oh Why.", according to CBS.
After an 11-day trial, judge ruled Sheeran had "neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied" Chokri's song and that while there were "similarities between the one-bar phrase" they were "only a starting point for a possible infringement" of copyright, according to BBC News.
While Sheeran includes the "oh I" phrase in "Shape of You," the judge said it said it "originated from sources other than “Oh Why'" and that the relevant parts of each song were different.
Sheeran said coincidences like this are bound to happen if 60,000 songs are released daily on Spotify – and only 12 notes available.
The judge ruled Sheeran had not heard "Oh Why" before writing his song, as the defense claimed. Snow Patrol's John McDaid and producer Steven McCutcheon, who co-wrote the song, also denied having previously heard "Oh Why," according to BBC News.