LONDON: British singer Ed Sheeran denied that he simply altered other artists' music and words to pass their work off as his own as he gave evidence on Monday in a copyright trial over his 2017 chart-topping hit "Shape Of You".
The award-winning singer is in a legal battle with grime artist Sami Chokri, who performs as Sami Switch, and music producer Ross O'Donoghue, who argue "Shape of You" infringes "particular lines and phrases" from their 2015 song "Oh Why".
Questioned by their lawyer Andrew Sutcliffe at the High Court in London, Sheeran, 31, said he had not been aware of Switch at the time he is accused of ripping off parts of "Oh Why", and had never heard the song before the court case.
"I have already built a long and very successful career writing original songs for both myself and a wide range of other leading artists," Sheeran said in his witness statement. "I would not have been able to do that if I was in the habit of plagiarising other writers."
Sutcliffe said Sheeran must have known of the grime artist, who he said had tweeted him directly and they had both appeared on SBTV, the British online music platform which helped launch Sheeran's career.
The lawyer said Sheeran shouted out Switch's name at Reading Festival in 2011 after being asked to by his best friend Jamal Edwards, the late founder of SBTV.
"This isn't stuff that's true," Sheeran told the High Court in London on the second day of the trial which began on Friday.
Chokri and O'Donoghue say the "Oh I" hook in "Shape Of You" is "strikingly similar" to the "Oh Why" hook in their song and that it was "extremely likely" Sheeran had previously heard their track.
Sheeran and his co-writers have denied this.
Sutcliffe, who at Friday's opening called Sheeran "a magpie", questioned the chart-topper intensively over his songwriting style and whether it was spontaneous or the result of development over time, with the influence of other artists.
The lawyer said there was overwhelming evidence at the time of writing "Shape of You" that Sheeran was collecting ideas before writing songs.
"You alter words and music which belong to others just enough to think they will pass as original," Sutcliffe said to him.
Sheeran who answered the questions confidently although sometimes appeared irked by them, rejected that assertion. He described his songs as 'excitement bottles' in his statement and said he wrote them in two hours and recently composed 25 songs in a week.
Sheeran was also asked about his decision to settle a claim over his 2015 song "Photograph" which two musicians said had the same composition as their song “Amazing”.
Sheeran agreed to hand over 35% of the publishing revenues, recognised the musicians as co-writers, and paid more than $5 million to them. Asked why he had done this rather than go to trial over what he described as a "nuisance", Sheeran said: "I took the advice of my lawyers."
Released from Sheeran's third studio album "÷", "Shape of You" stormed charts around the world upon its release in January 2017, becoming the best performing song in the United States that year.
Reuters
Tue Mar 08 2022
Musician Ed Sheeran arrives at the Rolls Building for a copyright trial over his song 'Shape Of You', in London, Britain, March 7, 2022. - REUTERS
Belanjawan 2025: Kesalinghubungan internet di sekolah, kampus jadi keutamaan - Fahmi
Fahmi berkata ia termasuk isu Internet di kawasan terpencil, pedalaman dan pulau-pulau dalam memastikan akses Internet berkelajuan tinggi lebih meluas.
Pelajar tahfiz perlu teroka bidang teknologi
Kira-kira 200,000 pelajar tahfiz di negara ini, perlu dipastikan untuk mempunyai kemampuan dan peluang menjadi tenaga penggerak kepada umat Islam Malaysia dalam meneroka bidang yang dahulu dilihat sebagai asing., tegas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Perpaduan rakyat prasyarat ekonomi mampan
Tidak semua negara Islam mempunyai ruang dan kesempatan untuk terus aman dan damai, dan mempunyai peluang untuk menikmati ekonomi yang kukuh dan berkembang seperti Malaysia, tegas Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.
Beliau berkata, rakyat Malaysia perlu mempunyai tekad untuk memahami maksud dan keperluan perpaduan di kalangan mereka, serta kekuatan dalaman yang seterusnya dapat dijadikan tonggak untuk negara membuat langkah seterusnya.
Beliau berkata, rakyat Malaysia perlu mempunyai tekad untuk memahami maksud dan keperluan perpaduan di kalangan mereka, serta kekuatan dalaman yang seterusnya dapat dijadikan tonggak untuk negara membuat langkah seterusnya.
Tidak perlu tergesa-gesa tukar ke lesen B - JPJ
Pemegang Lesen Memandu Malaysia (LMM) Kelas B2 dan B1 tidak perlu tergesa-gesa mendaftar Program Khas Peralihan LLM Kelas B2/B1 Kepada LMM Kelas B kerana tiada had masa ditetapkan untuk permohonan.
KPWKM teruskan lapan inisiatif bantu warga emas
Kementerian Pembangunan Wanita, Keluarga dan Masyarakat (KPWKM) akan terus menggerakkan lapan inisiatif utama dalam memenuhi keperluan jagaan dan sistem sokongan terhadap warga emas.
Warga emas maut ditikam anak kandung yang berhalusinasi
Seorang pesara guru maut ditikam anak kandungnya sendiri di sebuah rumah dekat Kampung Senaling, di sini, petang Sabtu.
Menurut Ketua Polis Daerah Kuala Pilah, Superintendan Amran Mohd Ghani, siasatan awal mendapati warga emas berusia 65 tahun itu cuba memujuk anak lelakinya yang juga pemegang kad orang kurang upaya (OKU) mental yang dikatakan mahu membunuh diri.
Menurut Ketua Polis Daerah Kuala Pilah, Superintendan Amran Mohd Ghani, siasatan awal mendapati warga emas berusia 65 tahun itu cuba memujuk anak lelakinya yang juga pemegang kad orang kurang upaya (OKU) mental yang dikatakan mahu membunuh diri.
Berita tempatan pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Berikut adalah berita yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang Sabtu, 5 Oktober 2024.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
Hezbollah lancar serangan peluru berpandu ke atas kompleks industri ketenteraan di utara Israel
Pergerakan Hezbollah di Lubnan berkata mereka telah melancarkan serangan peluru berpandu ke atas kemudahan ATA Defence Industries.
Tiada kaitan dengan pelantikan CEO MDEC, Anuar Fariz bukan adik saya - Fahmi
Menteri Komunikasi Fahmi Fadzil menyangkal dakwaan Ketua Pegawai Eksekutif (CEO) baharu Perbadanan Ekonomi Digital Malaysia (MDEC) Anuar Fariz Fadzil merupakan adiknya.
Ed Sheeran lengkapkan pembelian Ipswich menjelang pertemuan dengan Liverpool
Sheeran telah menjadi tumpuan di Portman Road, setelah menaja kedua-dua baju pasukan lelaki dan wanita sejak tiga musim lalu.
"Badminton amat besar di Malaysia" - Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran bermain badminton dengan legenda beregu campuran negara, Chan Peng Soon.
Sidang Kemuncak ASEAN 2025: Pastikan semua negeri dapat limpahan ekonomi - Fahmi
Katanya, Anwar juga menggesa agar semua cenderahati sempena penganjuran sidang kemuncak itu berkonsepkan kraf tangan Malaysia.
Mahkamah AS putuskan Ed Sheeran tidak ciplak lagu
Ed Sheeran sifatkan keputusan itu akan membantu melindungi proses kreatif untuk penulis lagu di AS dan seluruh dunia.
Ed Sheeran dituduh cetak rompak lagu Marvin Gaye
Sheeran menafikan dia telah meniru lirik lagu Gaye yang diterbitkan pada tahun 1973.
Album baharu 'ubat kemurungan', Ed Sheeran dedah isteri hidap tumor
Berkongsi detik sukar itu, Ed Sheeran berkata keadaan bertambah sukar apabila sahabatnya, Jamal Edwards meninggal dunia secara mengejut.
Ed Sheeran sekali lagi naik mahkamah, didakwa plagiat lagu
Ed Sheeran akan dibicarakan berhubung dakwaan memplagiat lagu hitnya, Thinking Out Loud daripada lagu Let's Get It On nyanyian Marvin Gaye.
Dapat anak perempuan lagi, Ed Sheeran umum kelahiran bayi keduanya
Ed Sheran berkongsi berita gembira itu di akaun Instagram miliknya baru-baru ini.
Ed Sheeran menang kes pertikaian hak cipta lagu 'Shape of You'
Mahkamah Tinggi London memutuskan Ed Sheeran tidak menciplak lagu 'Oh Why' dendangan Sami Chokri.
Ed Sheeran temui peminat menerusi konsert dalam talian pada 13 November ini
Konsert ini membolehkan peminat merasai sendiri kekuatan unik muzik pop Sheeran selepas dia kembali dari berehat di musim pandemik COVID-19.