Singer Ed Sheeran wins copyright case over Shape Of You hit
LONDON (REUTERS) - British singer Ed Sheeran won a copyright case at the High Court in London on Wednesday (April 6) over whether a refrain in his 2017 mega hit Shape Of You had been lifted from another artist.
Grime artist Sami Chokri, who performs as Sami Switch, and music producer Ross O'Donoghue, had argued Shape Of You had infringed "particular lines and phrases" from their 2015 song Oh Why.
"While there are similarities between the OW (Oh Why) Hook and the OI (Oh I) Phrase, there are also significant differences," the judge concluded.
"I am satisfied that Mr Sheeran did not subconsciously copy Oh Why in creating Shape."
Shape Of You is the most streamed song on Spotify, with more than three billion streams and won Sheeran, 31, a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance. He has a writing credit on the track along with several others.
During the court proceedings, which began in March, lawyer Andrew Sutcliffe, representing the aggrieved songwriters, told the judge that "the similarity between the two hooks is striking" and the songs "sound almost identical".
However, Sheeran's lawyers said he and his co-writers have no memory of having heard the song Oh Why at the time.
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