GettyEd Sheeran has finally settled his $20 million court case involving the writers behind Matt Cardle’s single, Amazing – and he made a lucky escape.
The red-headed popstar never seems to be out of the headlines at the moment, but after five years of being embroiled in a case against the X-Factor winner’s writers, the case is finally closed.
The unfortunate situation arose after Ed was accused of ‘note-for-note copying’ the 2010 winner’s single with his and Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid’s song Photograph.
Have a listen yourself:
Matt Cardle’s writers, Thomas Leonard and Martin Harrington claimed his 2014 single which peaked at number 10 in the charts, was an almost ‘verbatim rip off of The X Factor winner’s 2012 version.
The lawsuit claimed that Ed and Johnny had ‘copied and exploited, without authorisation or credit, the work of other active, professional songwriters on a breathtaking scale,’ Ok magazine reports.
The complaint stated:
This copying is, in many instances, verbatim, note-for-note copying, makes up nearly one half of Photograph, and raises this case to the unusual level of strikingly similar copying.
Here’s Matt’s version:
The pair then tried suing for huge damages of $20 million (£16 million) in a lawsuit filed in America, but after an agreement was finally reached between the duelling writers, the case has now been dismissed.
Matt Cardle’s writers used Richard Busch – the same lawyer who won the court case between Marvin Gaye’s family against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Willams for their Blurred Lines single.
It’s not the first spot of bother Ed’s been in this year, after he was also accused of copying TLC’s No Scrubs in his new single Shape of You.
In fact, it attracted so much media attention, writers Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle and producer Kevin Briggs have now been credited on American copyright site, ASCAP.
Thank god the whole Matt Cardle case is settled though, as it was getting a little out of hand and at least Ed isn’t out of pocket (although I’m sure he’s got plenty spare…)
Consider the case officially closed.
