Song copyright owner: Let’s get more lawsuits on the table

Ed Sheeran / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM

Arguably the songs are about two different kinds of lovin’: Ed Sheeran’s Grammy-winning ballad “Thinking Out Loud” is about the love that lasts well into old age while Marvin Gaye’s smooth-rocking “Let’s Get it On” is about the sort of love that lasts, well, not as long.

But according to those who own part of the copyright to Mr. Gaye’s 1970s hit, Mr. Sheeran's “song has the same melody, rhythms, harmonies, drums, bassline, backing chorus, tempo, syncopation and looping as ‘Let's Get it On,’” according to a $100,000 lawsuit filed in Manhattan federal court on Thursday, TMZ.com reported.

This is the latest suit against Mr. Sheeran. “Let’s Get It On” was written by Edward Townsend and Mr. Gaye in 1973. The former died in 2003, and Structured Asset Sales, named as plaintiffs in Thursday’s suit, bought one-third of the copyright. Mr. Townsend’s family tried to sue in 2016, a year after “Thinking Out Loud” was nominated for a Grammy for Best Record, Best Performance and Song of the Year, taking home two awards. There’s been no word on the previous suit and Mr. Sheeran is not commenting on either, according to press reports.

There is also no word on whether Mr. Gaye’s family, who owns one-third of the copyright, will get it on with a third lawsuit, according to reports.