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HITS Daily Double

SHEERAN SUED (AGAIN)

Ed Sheeran is being sued to the tune of $100m, allegedly plagiarizing from Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” with his own 2014 hit, “Thinking Out Loud.” And this isn’t the first time Sheeran has been accused of ripping off the 1973 classic.

In 2016, he was sued by the family of co-writer Edward Townsend, but U.S. district judge Richard J. Sullivan dismissed the case without prejudice—meaning it could be filed at a later date. That said, after Townsend’s death in 2003, Structured Asset Sales bought one third of the copywright, and Sheeran is now under fire from that company.

It’s worth noting that, just last year, the U.K. troubadour was focused on protecting another one of his smashes, “Shape of You,” expanding its credits to include Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle and producer Kevin Briggs—the writers behind TLC’s 1999 anthem “No Scrubs.” Of course, many believed this was done to preemptively dodge an infringement lawsuit.

As for Gaye, many remember when the late icon’s own estate got more than $5m from Robin Thicke and “Blurred Lines” collaborator Pharrell Williams (as well as 50% of their song’s future royalties) for pulling from 1977’s “Got to Give It Up.”