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On Tuesday, April 25th, Ed Sheeran testified in his own defense at a federal court in New York, facing accusations of copyright infringement for his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” and its alleged similarities to Marvin Gaye’s classic song “Let’s Get It On”.

The heirs of the late songwriter Ed Townsend, who co-wrote “Let’s Get It On” with Marvin Gaye, brought the lawsuit against Sheeran, claiming that he had copied key elements of their song in his own work.

However, Sheeran strongly denied these allegations in court, arguing that most pop songs are “built on building blocks that have been freely available for hundreds of years”. He also pointed out that if he had actually stolen the song, he would not have performed it live in front of thousands of fans.

The trial is expected to last for several days, with both sides presenting evidence and testimony from music experts. If found guilty of copyright infringement, Sheeran could be ordered to pay substantial damages to the heirs of Ed Townsend.

The case has drawn attention from across the music industry, with many artists and fans weighing in on the debate over copyright and the use of musical “building blocks” in popular music.