Ed Sheeran’s ‘Thinking Out Loud’ Win Upheld by Second Circuit

Ed Sheeran’s hit song “Thinking Out Loud” didn’t copy Marvin Gaye’s soul classic “Let’s Get It On,” the Second Circuit affirmed, upholding the district court’s summary judgment ruling and its finding that only sheet music on file with the Copyright Office is relevant to the case.

The three-judge panel agreed with the lower court’s decision to exclude evidence “about anything beyond the four corners” of the sheet music on file because the scope of Copyright Act protection “is limited to the elements found in the copy of the work deposited,” Judge Michael H. Park wrote in the Friday opinion filed ...