Ed Sheeran Hits Out At 'Shape Of You' Copyright Case After Win

6 April 2022, 11:45 | Updated: 6 April 2022, 11:51

Ed Sheeran makes statement after winning High Court copyright case

Ed Sheeran has spoken about the "damaging culture" within the music industry amid his court case win regarding the 'Shape Of You' legal battle.

Ed Sheeran has won his High Court battle over a plagiarism case involving his song 'Shape Of You'.

Songwriters Sami Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue alleged that the 2017 smash-hit was 'strikingly similar' to their track, 'Oh Why', which was written two years before the release of Sheeran's.

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However, the court ruled with the 31-year-old pop star on Wednesday (April 6), with Ed speaking out about the ordeal shortly after on social media – he branded the case 'baseless'.

The 'Bad Habits' hit-maker took to Instagram to share a video where he spoke openly about his views on copyright claims within the industry, stating that such cases "are way too common".

In the confessional clip posted to his social media platforms, Ed said: "Whilst we're happy with the result, I feel like claims like this are way too common now and have become a culture where a claim is made with the idea that a settlement will be cheaper than taking it to court, even if there's no basis for the claim".

He called this culture "really damaging to the songwriting industry" whilst speaking seriously on the legal matter.

"There's only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music, coincidence is bound to happen if 60,00 are being released every day on Spotify," Ed explained, "that's 22 million songs a year."

Ed spoke poignantly about the effect lawsuits can have on your mental health, addressing the camera in the clip: "I don’t want to take anything away from the pain and hurt suffered on both sides of this case but I just want to say I’m not an entity."

He continued: “I’m not a corporation, I’m a human being. I’m a father, I’m a husband, I’m a son.

"Lawsuits are not a pleasant experience and I hope with this ruling it means in the future baseless claims like this can be avoided."

In a joint statement released by the singer and fellow writers Johnny McDaid and Steve Mac, they wrote: "There was a lot of talk throughout this case about cost. But there is more than just a financial cost.

"There is a cost on creativity. When we are tangled up in lawsuits, we are not making music or playing shows. There is a cost on our mental health. The stress this causes on all sides is immense. It affects so many aspects of our everyday lives and the lives of our families and friends."

They capped off their statement with a supportive message to musicians as a collective: "Our message to songwriters everywhere is: Please support each other. Be kind to one another. Let’s continue to cultivate a spirit of community and creativity."

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