Ed Sheeran Lawsuit: Two Songs, Three Courts, One Case Still Open
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The Ed Sheeran lawsuit people search for is really several cases. In New York, owners of shares in Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” claimed “Thinking Out Loud” copied its chords and rhythm — Sheeran won at trial, on appeal and at the Supreme Court, but a second, related suit is still pending. In London, the High Court ruled in 2022 that “Shape of You” was not copied. These are copyright disputes between songwriters: there is no class action, no settlement and nothing for fans or listeners to claim.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
What the Cases Were About
Thinking Out Loud. “Let’s Get It On” was written in 1973 by Ed Townsend and Marvin Gaye. Heirs of Townsend, and later Structured Asset Sales, a company that owns a one-ninth royalty interest in the song, alleged that Sheeran’s 2014 hit copied it. The core of the claim was musical: the same four-chord progression, played with the same syncopated “anticipated” rhythm.
In the sheet music filed with the Copyright Office, those chords are E♭ – G minor – A♭ – B♭7. In the key of E-flat that is the progression musicians write as I–iii–IV–V. You can hear the I–iii–IV–V progression in every key — and that is the point the courts kept returning to: it is a common building block, and the appeals court found the same chord-and-rhythm combination in well-known songs that predate Gaye’s.
Shape of You. Songwriters Sami Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue alleged that the “Oh I” post-chorus of “Shape of You” copied the “Oh why” hook of their 2015 song “Oh Why”. Both phrases are sung to the first four notes of a rising minor pentatonic scale.
Case Details
Griffin v. Sheeran, No. 1:17-cv-05221 (S.D.N.Y.), brought in 2017 by Townsend’s heirs, tried before Judge Louis L. Stanton. Structured Asset Sales, LLC v. Sheeran, No. 1:18-cv-05839 (S.D.N.Y.), also before Judge Stanton; affirmed by the Second Circuit in No. 23-905; Supreme Court No. 24-981. A second suit by the same company, Structured Asset Sales, LLC v. Sheeran, No. 1:20-cv-04329 (S.D.N.Y.), is assigned to Judge Ronnie Abrams. It rests on a 2020 copyright registration that uses Gaye’s recording, not the 1973 sheet music, as the deposit.
In England: Sheeran v Chokri [2022] EWHC 827 (Ch), Case No IL-2018-000095, High Court, Intellectual Property List, decided by Mr Justice Zacaroli. The full judgment and the Second Circuit opinion are public.
Status: Two Cases Over, One Still Pending
Structured Asset Sales, first case: over. Judge Stanton granted Sheeran summary judgment on May 16, 2023. The Second Circuit affirmed on November 1, 2024, and the Supreme Court denied review on June 16, 2025.
Structured Asset Sales, second case: pending. It had been on hold. Per a case tracker at George Washington University Law School, Judge Abrams ruled on December 9, 2025 that Sheeran may challenge the 2020 registration, and the defense asked her to reconsider on January 20, 2026. We could not confirm a later ruling as of October 2026.
Shape of You: over. Sheeran won on April 6, 2022.
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Is Anyone Else Affected?
No. These are disputes between people who own song copyrights. A listener, a ticket buyer or a streaming subscriber is not a party and cannot join.
Nobody is certifying a class, and nobody is collecting claims. The only people with a stake are the songwriters, the heirs, the publishers and the company that bought a share of the royalties.
If you write music yourself, the useful takeaway is legal, not financial: a common chord progression and a common rhythm are building blocks, not property.
Is There Any Money?
The money that did move went the other way. In the London case, Mr Justice Zacaroli ordered Chokri and O’Donoghue to pay Sheeran’s side’s legal costs, with an interim payment of £916,200 (reported as more than $1.1 million) pending a detailed assessment. For how damages are calculated when a copyright claim does succeed, see our copyright damages calculator.
How cases like this one end
Our copy of the federal courts’ own case database covers 56,816 federal civil cases of this typeclosed in U.S. federal district courts between 2015 and 2025:
- 20.1% ended in a settlement recorded by the court. Another 57.3% were dismissed voluntarily, which often follows a private settlement — so the real settlement share sits between 20.1% and 77.4%.
- 2.1% were decided on a motion before any trial.
- 1 in 310 reached a trial (0.3%), after a median of 29.4 months.
- Median time from filing to the end of the case: 4.3 months.
- Only 1,959 of them (3.4%) record a money award at all; the median of those is $35,000.
These are base rates for this type of case (federal copyright cases) — not a prediction about this lawsuit, and not legal advice. Source: Federal Judicial Center, Integrated Database (civil), analysed by Settlement Insight. Cases heard in state courts are not included.
Ed Sheeran Lawsuit Timeline
- 1
2017 — Townsend Heirs Sue in New York
Griffin v. Sheeran (1:17-cv-05221) alleges that Thinking Out Loud copies Let’s Get It On. Structured Asset Sales files its own suit in 2018 after being refused permission to join.
- 2
May 16, 2018 — Shape of You Goes to Court
Sheeran and his co-writers ask the High Court in London to declare that they did not copy Oh Why, after PRS suspended their performance payments. The other side counterclaims.
- 3
April 6, 2022 — London Ruling for Sheeran
After an 11-day trial, Mr Justice Zacaroli finds Sheeran neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied the phrase. An interim costs payment of £916,200 is ordered later that year.
- 4
May 2023 — Jury Verdict, Then Summary Judgment
A Manhattan jury clears Sheeran in Griffin on May 4. On May 16, Judge Stanton grants summary judgment in the first Structured Asset Sales case.
- 5
November 1, 2024 — Appeal Fails
The Second Circuit affirms in No. 23-905: the chord progression and rhythm are too unoriginal to protect. The Supreme Court denies review on June 16, 2025.
- 6
December 2025 to Now — Second Suit Pending
In 1:20-cv-04329, Judge Abrams allows a challenge to the 2020 registration; the defense seeks reconsideration on January 20, 2026. No later ruling confirmed as of October 2026.
Three Things to Watch For
A famous name and the word “lawsuit” are enough for imposters, even when no payout exists:
“Claim your Ed Sheeran settlement” pages
There is no class action and no settlement in any of these cases. A page asking for your bank details or ID to “release your share” is collecting data, not filing anything.
Fake concert-ticket refund offers
Messages that tie the lawsuit to a refund on tickets you bought are invented. None of the cases involve fans, tickets or streaming subscriptions.
Royalty-share investment pitches
The New York cases were driven partly by an investor in a royalty stake. Offers to buy into “the Let’s Get It On lawsuit” or a promised verdict payout are speculation at best; treat unsolicited pitches as a red flag.
Ed Sheeran Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Did Ed Sheeran lose the Thinking Out Loud lawsuit?
No. A jury cleared him on May 4, 2023, Judge Stanton granted summary judgment in the parallel case on May 16, 2023, the Second Circuit affirmed on November 1, 2024 and the Supreme Court declined review on June 16, 2025. A second Structured Asset Sales suit is still pending.
What exactly was he accused of copying?
A four-chord progression — E-flat, G minor, A-flat, B-flat 7, or I–iii–IV–V — combined with a syncopated rhythm in which the chord changes arrive slightly early. The plaintiffs alleged that this combination was taken from Let’s Get It On; the courts found it too common to protect.
Why are there two New York cases over the same song?
Different people own different slices of Townsend’s share. His heirs sued in 2017. Structured Asset Sales, which owns a one-ninth royalty interest, was not allowed to join and filed separately in 2018, then again in 2020 using a new registration.
Why did the recording of Let’s Get It On not count?
Because the song was registered under the Copyright Act of 1909, the Second Circuit held that only the sheet music deposited in 1973 defines what is protected. The bass line, drums and feel of Gaye’s recording were not part of that deposit.
What happened in the Shape of You case?
On April 6, 2022 the High Court in London ruled that Sheeran had neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied the “Oh why” hook. The writers of Oh Why were ordered to pay Sheeran’s side’s legal costs, with an interim payment of £916,200.
Is there a class action or settlement I can join?
No. These are copyright cases between songwriters and rights owners. There is no class, no settlement, no fund and no claim form for fans or listeners.
Is any Ed Sheeran lawsuit still going on?
Yes, one: Structured Asset Sales, LLC v. Sheeran, No. 1:20-cv-04329, before Judge Ronnie Abrams. As of October 2026 we could not confirm a ruling after the reconsideration motion filed January 20, 2026.
Does this mean nobody can copy a chord progression?
The opposite. The Second Circuit held that a common progression with a common rhythm is a basic building block. Copyright claims in music now generally need protectable melody, lyrics or a distinctive combination of many elements.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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