Following the judge’s ruling, Ed Sheeran released a video statement stating that his 2017 hit Shape of You did not copy another artist’s work – saying “baseless” copyright claims are “harmful” to the industry.
Shiran And his two co-authors – Johnny McDade of Snow Patrol and producer Steve McCachon, better known as Steve Mack – have been accused of stealing parts of a track called “Oh Kane” by Sami Chokri, a Grammy artist who plays Sami Switch.
In a video statement He was released after a High Court judge ruled in his favorThe star said when they were “clearly happy with the result”, he wanted to talk about it.
“I think such claims are very common now and it has become a culture where one claims that even if the claim has no basis, a settlement would be cheaper than taking it to court,” he said. “It simply came to our notice then.
“There are only a few notes and very few chords used in pop music. Coincidence is bound to happen when 60,000 songs are released every day on Spotify. It has 22 million songs a year and only 12 notes.”
‘I am a human being’
“I do not want to take anything away from the pain and suffering of both sides in this case. But I just want to say I am not an entity. I am not a corporation. I am a man, I am a father, I am a husband, I am a son.
“The lawsuit is not a happy one, and I hope that with this ruling, such baseless claims will be avoided in the future.” That fact must be taken into account. “
He thanked the people for their support, adding: “Hopefully, we can all go back to writing songs rather than prove that we can write songs.”
Joint statement of the lyricists
The three lyricists also issued a joint statement following the verdict, saying the costs of the case were “not just financial”.
They say: “There is a cost to creativity. When we get involved in lawsuits, we don’t make songs or do shows. There is a cost to our mental health. As a result, the pressure in all directions is immense. It affects many aspects of our daily lives and the lives of our family and friends. “
The joint statement reiterated Sheeran’s statement that “it does not want to reduce the pain and suffering of anyone who has suffered through it” but said “at the same time we think it is important to acknowledge that we have struggled our own lives throughout the course.” The process “and those lawsuits also affect the” broad circle “of lyricists.
“Our hope for going through all of this is that it shows that all lyricists are creative and need a safe place to express their heart,” they said. “It simply came to our notice then. Everyone should be able to express themselves freely in music and art and do so without fear.
“At the same time, we believe that there should be proper procedures in place to protect legitimate and warranty copyright. However, it is not like a culture where unreasonable demands are easily brought up. It’s not constructive or conducive to a culture of creativity. “
Johnny McDade of Snow Patrol was a co-author of Shape of You
A ‘message for lyricists everywhere’
The trio continued to say that they respect other artists and, when given credit, “always try to clear or acknowledge our influence and collaborators” – something they talked about during the trial.
“No matter how successful something is, we still respect it,” they said.
“It’s very painful to hear someone in public, and aggressively, to challenge your integrity. It is very painful to defend yourself against accusations that you have done something you never did and never will.
“While this was one of the most difficult things in our professional life, we will continue to stand up against baseless demands and protect our rights and the integrity of our musical creativity, so that we can continue to make music, always.”
“Our message to lyricists everywhere is: please support one another. Collaborate with each other. Let’s build community and creativity. ”
After an 11-day trial in the High Court in March, Mr Justice Zakaroli ruled that Shiran “intentionally or subconsciously” did not copy a hook when he wrote the phrase “oh me” from “oh why”.
While there are “similarities” between hooks and phrases, he concludes that there are “significant differences.”
