Ed Sheeran

Structured Asset Sales (SAS), which holds interests connected to Ed Townsend's rights, brought separate actions over 'Thinking Out Loud'. A first action was dismissed by the federal district court, with that dismissal upheld on appeal in November 2024; the US Supreme Court declined to hear the appeal in June 2025. A second parallel action based on a different copyright registration remained pending in the Southern District of New York in March 2026, with Sheeran's lawyers seeking its dismissal.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Accused

For the 40th anniversary of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?', a new version reused vocals recorded for earlier editions, including Ed Sheeran's 2014 contribution. Sheeran said his approval had not been sought for this reuse and that he would have refused it, explaining that his understanding of the narrative surrounding Africa had evolved.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Personally implicated

The heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote 'Let's Get It On' with Marvin Gaye, sued Ed Sheeran, alleging that 'Thinking Out Loud' copied protected elements of the 1973 song. In May 2023, a federal jury in New York found that Sheeran was not liable for copyright infringement.

Attribution

Accused

Sami Chokri and Ross O'Donoghue argued that the refrain in 'Shape of You' copied their track 'Oh Why'. Following several years of litigation, the English High Court held in April 2022 that Ed Sheeran and his co-writers had neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied the passage in question.

Attribution

Directly implicated

The expansion of Ed Sheeran's Suffolk estate has involved several planning applications, local objections and reports about its facilities, including an initial proposal for a private chapel that was refused and a revised proposal that was approved. In 2022, an application also sought permission for a crypt beneath the chapel.

State of the evidence

Documented

Australian songwriters Sean Carey and Beau Golden sued Ed Sheeran, Amy Wadge, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and others, alleging that 'The Rest of Our Life' copied their song 'When I Found You'. The complaint alleged, among other things, a 'note-for-note' similarity. An out-of-court settlement ended the case in November 2018.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Accused

Songwriters Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard sued Ed Sheeran and his co-writers, alleging that 'Photograph' substantially copied their song 'Amazing', popularised by Matt Cardle. Filed in 2016, the claim sought $20 million, among other remedies. The dispute was settled out of court in 2017.

State of the evidence

Settlement

Attribution

Accused

Following the release of 'Shape of You', Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle and Kevin Briggs, writers of TLC's 'No Scrubs', were added to the songwriting credits following comparisons between the melodies. The addition prompted public debate about interpolation and the similarities between the two works.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated