Ed Sheeran awarded €1 million
Sheeran said he doesn’t remember anyone sending him 'Oh Why'.
British singer Ed Sheeran was on trial with Sami Chokri, better known as Sami Switch, as well as with his music producer Ross O’Donoghue. Namely, the two of them claimed that Sheeran's song "Shape of you" was plagiarism and that it was too reminiscent of their "Oh why" from 2015. The Supreme Court ruled in Ed's favor, claiming that the song is not plagiarism.
The Supreme Court ruled in Ed's favor and found that the song was not plagiarism. Judge Anthony Zacaroli stated that Sheeran did not consciously or unconsciously copy the song and that it is very likely that he did not even hear it before he wrote "Shape of you". This song was the best-selling song in the United Kingdom in 2017, and the Spotify platform has the most streams of all the other tracks. Ed and his producer Steve McCuchon earn as much as five million pounds a year from this song.
In an additional verdict, passed yesterday, the judge ruled that the plaintiffs must pay the court costs to Sheeran, in the amount of 916 thousand pounds, which is somewhere around one million dollars. This case dates back to 2018. Chokri and his co-writer Ross O’Donoghue argued that “Oh I” in Sheeran’s song is “strikingly similar” to “Oh why” in their own composition.
View this post on Instagram
Sheeran and his co-writers, producer Steven McCutcheon and John McDaid deny they copied and say they don’t remember hearing ‘Oh Why’ before the legal brawl. Lawyers for Chokri and O’Donoghue said there was “clear and convincing” evidence that ‘Oh Why’ was widely available and sent to a number of Sheeran’s close friends and colleagues.
In written evidence, David May, CEO of Artists and Company (A&C), a company run by Chokri, said that when ‘Oh Why’ was promoted, they had a “coordinated plan to target Ed Sheeran in hopes of getting interested in Sami's work”. Sheeran said he doesn’t remember anyone sending him 'Oh Why' “in any way” before he wrote ‘Shape Of You’.
Edward Christopher Sheeran is a British singer, songwriter, producer, and actor. He was born on February 17, 1991, in Halifax, West Yorkshire. He grew up in Framlingham, Suffolk. Until the age of 18, he attended the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guilford. In early 2011, he independently released his first EP No. 5 Collaborations Project, after which he became famous.
Post by: Rinna James
