For years now, Ed Sheeran has been dealing with a copyright case over alleged plagiarism on “Shape Of You.” Now, it’s finally over: This morning’s verdict was ruled in favor of Sheeran, co-writer Johnny McDaid, and producer Steve McCutcheon, NME reports.
In the ruling, Justice Zacaroli declared Sheeran “neither deliberately nor subconsciously” copied a phrase from Sami Switch’s “Oh Why” when writing “Shape Of You.” They also noted that while the song have similarities, “such similarities are only a starting point for a possible infringement” of copyright.
Now that the trial is finally over, Sheeran has spoken out. He said in a minute-long video shared on Instagram a few hours ago:
“Hey guys. Me, Jonny, and Steve have made a joint statement that will be press released on the outcome of this case, but I wanted to make a small video to talk about it a bit because I’ve not really been able to say anything whilst it’s been going on.
While we’re obviously 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 would be cheaper than taking it to court, even if there’s no base to the claim, is really damaging to the songwriting industry. There’s only so many notes and very few cords used in pop music. Coincidence is bound to happen if 60,000 songs are being released every day on Spotify. That’s 22 million songs a year and there’s only 12 notes that are available.
I don’t want take anything away from the pain and hurt suffered from both sides of this case, but I just want to say I’m not an entity, 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. This really does have to end.
Me, Johnny, and Steve are very grateful for all the support sent to us by fellow songwriters over the last few weeks. Hopefully we can all get back to writing songs rather than having to prove that we can write them. Thank you.”
As for the statement Sheeran mentioned, read that in full below.
“Here 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. We are not corporations. We are not entities. We are human beings. We are songwriters. We do not want to diminish the hurt and pain anyone has suffered through this, and at the same time, we feel it is important to acknowledge that we too have had our own hurts and life struggles throughout the course of this process.
There is an impact on both us and the wider circle of songwriters everywhere. Our hope in having gone through all of this, is that it shows that there is a need for a safe space for all songwriters to be creative, and free to express their hearts. That is why we all got into this in the first place. Everyone should be able to freely express themselves in music, in art and do so fearlessly.
At the same time, we believe that there should be due process for legitimate and warranted copyright protection. However, that is not the same as having a culture where unwarranted claims are easily brought. This is not constructive or conducive to a culture of creativity.
We are grateful that Mr. Justice Zacaroli has delivered a clear and considered judgment which supports the position we have argued from the outset. ‘Shape Of You’ is original. We did not copy the Defendants’ song.
We respect the music of those who’ve come before us and have inspired us along the way, whoever they are. We have always sought to clear or to acknowledge our influences and collaborators. It doesn’t matter how successful something appears to be, we still respect it. It is so painful to hear someone publicly, and aggressively, challenge your integrity.
It is so painful to have to defend yourself against accusations that you have done something that you haven’t done and would never do.
We are very grateful for all the messages of love, hope and support we received throughout the course of this case from songwriters everywhere. Thank you also to our publishers, who stood shoulder to shoulder with us at every step of the way. We are privileged to do what we do, and we know that. We want to live in a world where we are free to do what we do, openly and honorably.
While this has been one of the most difficult things we have ever been through in our professional lives, we will continue to stand up against baseless claims, and protect our rights and the integrity of our musical creativity, so we that can continue to make music, always.
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.”
Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
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