Ed Sheeran’s stock has never been higher. A few weeks ago he occupied almost every spot on the ‘Hot 20’ charts in the UK. He’s embarked on a massive world tour that will leave him richer than Forrest Gump after he and Lt. Dan cashed in on that Apple stock. Life is pretty good for Ed Sheeran right now, but it’s far from perfect.
The Daily Mail is reporting that Ed Sheeran just settled a $20lawsuit lawsuit over songwriting credits after a former X Factor accused him of blatantly stealing the song ‘Photograph’. You’ve 100% heard Ed Sheeran’s ‘Photograph’. This song has over 326 MILLION views on YouTube and has been played on the radio countless times. If you need a refresher on which song that is, all you need check out Matt Cardle’s ‘Amazing’, the song Ed Sheeran stole for ‘Photograph’:
Twenty. Million. Dollars. That’s how much this lawsuit was for.
The British singer, 26, was accused of making a ‘note-for-note copy’ of a Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard song called Amazing, released by former The X Factor winner Matt Cardle seven years ago.
In court documents obtained by MailOnline in June 2016, Harrington and Leonard, along with HaloSongs, were seen to action against Ed and his co-writer, Snow Patrol star Johnny McDaid in a $20 million (£16 million) lawsuit.
But California based judge James Selna has since confirmed the case has been dismissed after Sheeran reached an agreement with the two songwriters, who have previously written for Kylie Minogue, 5ive and Emma Bunton.
Sheeran and McDaid were specifically accused of, ‘participating in a scheme aiding, inducing, and contributing to copyright infringement in the U.S.’ (via TheDailyMail)
After Robin Thicke lost his ‘Blurred Lines’ lawsuit a few years ago there was a clear message sent throughout Hollywood: don’t steal other people’s songs or you will pay a huuuuuuge price.
It’s clear that Ed Sheeran didn’t want any of the bad press Robin Thicke was forced to endure after losing his lawsuit, so Ed did the smart thing and settled before it became a major distraction during his world tour. How much did he have to pay out? We might never know. But, the original lawsuit was for $20 million, so I think it’s safe to assume we’re talking high 7 to low 8 figures here.
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