Grammy Award-winning songwriter Ed Sheeran won a U.K. copyright battle over his 2017 hit 'Shape of You' on Wednesday, then slammed what he described as a 'culture' of baseless lawsuits intended to squeeze money out of artists eager to avoid the expense of a trial.
LONDON -- Grammy Award-winning songwriter Ed Sheeran won a U.K. copyright battle over his 2017 hit "Shape of You" on Wednesday, then slammed what he described as a "culture" of baseless lawsuits intended to squeeze money out of artists eager to avoid the expense of a trial.
"Whilst we're obviously happy with the result, I feel like claims like this are way too common now and have become a culture where a claim is made with the idea that a settlement will be cheaper than taking it to court, even if there is no basis for the claim,"Andrew Sutcliffe, the lawyer for the co-writers of "Oh Why," argued that there was an "indisputable similarity between the works.
During the 11-day trial, Sheeran denied allegations that he "borrows" ideas from unknown songwriters without acknowledgement and said he has always been fair in crediting people who contribute to his albums.