In 2017, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran was accused of infringing Marvin Gaye’s classic song “Let’s Get It On.” The family of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s co-writer on the song, sued Sheeran saying that his 2014 hit, “Thinking Out Loud,” was too similar to be original. The case was one of a slate of high profile lawsuits over music copyright in recent years.
In this video, we explore how the copyright in a song – the musical composition – works. We look at what courts use to determine whether there was an infringement, and why these cases can be so complicated.
Video features:
- Joseph Fishman, Vanderbilt Law School
- Aruni Soni, Intellectual property reporter
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