The "Photograph" singer Ed Sheeran was hugely appreciated last summer when the song was released last summer. The rhythmic nature of the song and an excellent tune craft kept everyone mesmerized until now.
Unfortunately, what appeared to be Sheeran's greatest hit so far has been alleged for constituting "verbatim, note-for-note copying," according to The Hollywood Reporter. In a $20 million lawsuit filed on June 8, Wednesday, it has been alleged that Sheeran derived his work from a 2009 song "Amazing."
The lawsuit has been filed by songwriters Thomas Leonard and Martin Harrington, in collaboration with their publishing company called HaloSongs. Leonard and Harrington claim that Sheeran's work is based on "Amazing," which was recorded and released back in 2009 by "The X-Factor" winner of 2010, Matt Cardle.
Even though filing a lawsuit for copying is a common practice nowadays, this case seems a little different because the plaintiff involves people who have some of the greatest hits of all times, including some of the biggest chartbusters for Emma Bunton and Kylie Minogue.
Plaintiffs Harrington and Leonard are being represented by attorney Richard Busch, who has a strong background when it comes to filing for the copyright lawsuit. Busch's last lawsuit was on behalf of the Marvin Gaye family for the hit "Blurred Lines." The result was a $5.3 million judgement.
"My clients are professional songwriters," Busch told the publication. "Their work is their life, and I am honored that they have trusted me with this very important case."
If the claim is not sufficient, the plaintiffs and the attorney also have a comparison of chord progressions and musical notations prepared with them. According to Leonard and Harrington, Sheeran's version of the song shares almost 39 identical notes, which amount to around 70 percent similarity in terms of rhythm, pitch and placement.
During last summer, Sheeran was crowned the top musical act in the United States by Billboard. At that time, his single "Photograph" was among the top 20 songs on the Hot 100 by Billboard. Now the singer will have to answer to the charges along with Warner Music, Sony Songs and "Photograph" co-writer Johnny McDaid.
The following is the song by Matt Cardle, from which Sheeran allegedly copied the notes: