Ed Sheeran plagiarism accusation trial | Sheeran wins | Taylor Swift next in court

Wibble

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I can here a similarity to the TLC song which has been credited but I can't hear any real similarity to this song as is claimed in this legal action. Unless the word why (or whyo) can be copyrighted.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...d-plan-interest-ed-sheeran-song-legal-dispute


The writers of the song now suing apparently tried to get Sheeran to champion their work via various people in his team (which never came to anything) so I wonder if they are overthinking the vague similarity of a couple of words due to this contact, and possibly them being miffed at being rebuffed in the first place.

Can't stand either song - which is besides the point.
 

sebsheep

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There is definitely similarities with that section. Not sure they'll win the case though.

The Dua Lipa one is much clearer.
 

Drainy

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Wibble said:
Risky play as they have punted huge sums on legal fees.
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Sure but people can be stupid, and/or can rationalise the cost as being worth it as the cost of similar publicity will be as much but with less of a hook.

Maybe they expect to win or maybe its cynical.
 

Samid

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Not as weird as an American 'rapper' plagiarizing a teenage pop girl from the other side of the planet.

 

flameinthesun

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horsechoker said:
You can tell just by looking at him that he's guilty.



In short: no she didn't
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In short: It's likely she did


Although as normal with pop songs there are 5+ writers on the song so it would not solely be her fault (tbh the majority of Popstars don't really have much influence in the production/writing of their songs).

The choruses are beyond similar, now it may not be malicious, it could be that one of the songwriters had heard the song before and forgot about it during the creation of this song. But the fact the songs are so similar in terms of not only the arrangement and chord structure (barring the come home chord) but also the melody of the lyrics makes the chances of this not being plagiarised very low.

If I was the reggae band I would have definitely taken Dua Lipa to court as well.
 

Dirty Schwein

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Wasn't Ed Sheeran accused to sampling Marvin Gaye on his song Thinking Out Loud without permission?

Man's making a career with other people's work :lol:
 

Classical Mechanic

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Dirty Schwein said:
Wasn't Ed Sheeran accused to sampling Marvin Gaye on his song Thinking Out Loud without permission?

Man's making a career with other people's work :lol:
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It depends how you look at it.

The families and estates of bygone artists suing modern artists has become an industry in and of itself. The Gaye family successfully sued Pharrell Williams for about £8m so there's a lot of money to be made here. Katy Perry just had a case against her thrown out on appeal. There are numerous such cases ongoing. The problem is that there are only a finite number of chord sequences and melodies. Artists don't invent melodies they only discover them so two artists can discover the same melody independently. Coldplay argued this was the case when Joe Satriani successfully brought legal action against them.

Of course it's entirely possible that the likes of Pharrell and Sheeran are wilfully stealing other musical ideas and are factoring in any possible future litigation against the bigger financial picture. It's also possible that many of these claims are spurious and driven by the greed of the families and estates of bygone artists or by modern artists of modest financial success.
 

Acole9

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flameinthesun said:
In short: It's likely she did


Although as normal with pop songs there are 5+ writers on the song so it would not solely be her fault (tbh the majority of Popstars don't really have much influence in the production/writing of their songs).

The choruses are beyond similar, now it may not be malicious, it could be that one of the songwriters had heard the song before and forgot about it during the creation of this song. But the fact the songs are so similar in terms of not only the arrangement and chord structure (barring the come home chord) but also the melody of the lyrics makes the chances of this not being plagiarised very low.

If I was the reggae band I would have definitely taken Dua Lipa to court as well.
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Blimey they are extremely similar. The one that always stands out for me is that Olly Murs song (sorry can't remember the name) vs Dodgy - Good enough.

Also Knuckle Puck - Earthquake, the beginning is a rip off of Jimmy Eat World - The Authority song.
 
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jeff_goldblum

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I think with Ed Sheeran the plagiarism is especially galling because the success of his 'brand' is rooted in the narrative that he's a relatable everyman who got famous through being a great songwriter. There are many, many popular musicians who have built careers around openly (and legally) sampling music they liked the sound of and adding their own stamp to it. Equally, there are many popular musicians who have built careers around openly (and legally) recording their own versions of other peoples' songs or having songs written for them. But, with a few exceptions, they generally aren't held in the same esteem as people who write and perform their own songs.

Sheeran, having been in the industry for a while before he made it big as a performer, quite clearly knows that. His success isn't solely contingent on people liking his music, but on his image and his apparent credibility as a songwriter. The "steal first, deal with the legal stuff later" approach might as well be a business model at this stage. He outright plagiarises rather than sampling or acknowledging the lift (or simply covering the song he likes) in the knowledge that the benefits to his brand outweigh the risks of having to pay out. He settles out of court or quietly agrees royalty settlements/credits when he gets caught, but by that point the song has already charted with his name on it and he's reaped the rewards.

The case that's currently in the courts is probably one of the least clear-cut I've seen involving Sheeran (which is probably why he hasn't settled already), but he has a well-earned reputation for plagiarism so if I was a musician in a similar situation I'd be suspicious.
 

MrMarcello

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flameinthesun said:
In short: It's likely she did


Although as normal with pop songs there are 5+ writers on the song so it would not solely be her fault (tbh the majority of Popstars don't really have much influence in the production/writing of their songs).

The choruses are beyond similar, now it may not be malicious, it could be that one of the songwriters had heard the song before and forgot about it during the creation of this song. But the fact the songs are so similar in terms of not only the arrangement and chord structure (barring the come home chord) but also the melody of the lyrics makes the chances of this not being plagiarised very low.

If I was the reggae band I would have definitely taken Dua Lipa to court as well.
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But, the reggae group must have copied Outkast per the other vid linked.
 

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I always find it amazing when these "singer/songwriters" who have made a career out of telling everyone how amazing they are for writing their own stuff suddenly turn around and say "erm, actually I was involved with a team of songwriters for that tune" when the lawsuits roll up.

I fully believe that Ed's input in his own music since the second album will have been walking into a room and saying "Lads, I want a new song that goes 'chkchk chuka chk pow pow' can you get me a demo by next week, yeah?" Before fecking off and letting someone else do all the work, ripped off or otherwise. Either that or they just buy tracks from some "hit factory" dipshit that writes for every other artist in the world, hence why they all sound the fecking same.

Fingeredmouse said:
Smells like Teen Spirit is basically Wild Thing.
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I know you're joking so I won't send the police over to your house.
 

RedTiger

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Wibble said:
I can here a similarity to the TLC song which has been credited but I can't hear any real similarity to this song as is claimed in this legal action. Unless the word why (or whyo) can be copyrighted.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2...d-plan-interest-ed-sheeran-song-legal-dispute


The writers of the song now suing apparently tried to get Sheeran to champion their work via various people in his team (which never came to anything) so I wonder if they are overthinking the vague similarity of a couple of words due to this contact, and possibly them being miffed at being rebuffed in the first place.

Can't stand either song - which is besides the point.
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I can definitely hear it. If they sent Ed the song before Ed recorded his one then maybe, maybe these guys have a chance at a claim.
 

Peter van der Gea

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Mr Pigeon said:
I always find it amazing when these "singer/songwriters" who have made a career out of telling everyone how amazing they are for writing their own stuff suddenly turn around and say "erm, actually I was involved with a team of songwriters for that tune" when the lawsuits roll up.

I fully believe that Ed's input in his own music since the second album will have been walking into a room and saying "Lads, I want a new song that goes 'chkchk chuka chk pow pow' can you get me a demo by next week, yeah?" Before fecking off and letting someone else do all the work, ripped off or otherwise. Either that or they just buy tracks from some "hit factory" dipshit that writes for every other artist in the world, hence why they all sound the fecking same.


I know you're joking so I won't send the police over to your house.
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Sting's probably busy anyway
 

Wibble

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RedTiger said:
I can definitely hear it. If they sent Ed the song before Ed recorded his one then maybe, maybe these guys have a chance at a claim.
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The bit that is a bit similar is a very minor part of the song as well. Sounds like they didn't specifically send that song as far as I can tell from the reporting. Edit: last bit maybe not true link

I think some of these claims are intended or unintended (heard and forgotten songs) plaguarism but some are just coincidence. A bit like potatoes that look like politicians. There is a likeness but it was just a coincidence.



or maybe like seeing Jesus in toast.

 
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RedTiger

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Wibble said:
The bit that is a bit similar is a very minor part of the song as well. Sounds like they didn't specifically send that song as far as I can tell from the reporting. Edit: last bit maybe not true link

I think some of these claims are intended or unintended (heard and forgotten songs) plaguarism but some are just coincidence. A bit like potatoes that look like politicians. There is a likeness but it was just a coincidence.



or maybe like seeing Jesus in toast.

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That first piece of toast of lemmy from moterhead, the second piece of toast is Princess Diana looking up.
 

Salt Bailly

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Classical Mechanic said:
Kurt admitted that the main guitar riff was lifted from More Than a Feeling by Boston.
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This post led me down a SLTS rabbit hole that
culminated in their live performance on Top of the Tops in 1991, during which Kurt sang the entire song in the style of Morrissey because they wouldn't let the band play live instruments.
 

yumtum

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Mr Pigeon said:
I always find it amazing when these "singer/songwriters" who have made a career out of telling everyone how amazing they are for writing their own stuff suddenly turn around and say "erm, actually I was involved with a team of songwriters for that tune" when the lawsuits roll up.

I fully believe that Ed's input in his own music since the second album will have been walking into a room and saying "Lads, I want a new song that goes 'chkchk chuka chk pow pow' can you get me a demo by next week, yeah?" Before fecking off and letting someone else do all the work, ripped off or otherwise. Either that or they just buy tracks from some "hit factory" dipshit that writes for every other artist in the world, hence why they all sound the fecking same.


I know you're joking so I won't send the police over to your house.
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My ex boss went to a show in Cardiff a few months ago, and that show was the songwriter for Ed Sheeran, yes - even songwriters are filling stadiums now...

...anyway, she's definitely a millionaire and does a load of his songs as well as others like Beyonce.

Her name is Amy Wadge if anyone didn't know.
 
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