Ed Sheeran Hugs Plaintiff After Winning Copyright Trial: What Kathryn Townsend Griffin Said to Him in Court

"On both sides it takes a massive toll, both personally and financially, but it's about heart and integrity, and that's why I fought it," Sheeran said on The Elvis Duran Morning Show

After winning his copyright trial, Ed Sheeran is feeling confident about his original songwriting abilities.

On Thursday, a jury found the British singer-songwriter not liable in a lawsuit filed against him by Structured Asset Sales for allegedly infringing copyright on the Marvin Gaye classic "Let's Get It On" for his 2014 single "Thinking Out Loud."

In an interview on The Elvis Duran Morning Show on Friday, Sheeran detailed his interaction with plaintiff Kathryn Townsend Griffin, daughter of "Let's Get It On" co-writer Ed Townsend, in the courtroom following the verdict. (Structured purchased a third of the shares of the song from the family of Townsend in 2018.)

"The one thing that felt like the biggest win for me was afterwards, Kathryn [Townsend Griffin], her family and everyone came up to me, hugged me and said, 'We believe you,'" said the 32-year-old Grammy winner.

Sheeran continued, "It's never a nice thing, winning and someone else losing, but walking away from it knowing that I did the right thing and that they believed me was, I think, the biggest win."

He also spoke about his motivation behind choosing to go through with the trial. "On both sides it takes a massive toll, both personally and financially, but it's about heart and integrity, and that's why I fought it," said the "Shivers" performer. "I can't be accused of something that I didn't do. So, I had to prove that."

RELATED VIDEO: Ed Sheeran Found Not Liable in Copyright Lawsuit: 'I Feel the Truth Was Heard'

After the verdict was read, the musician hugged his legal team and co-writer Amy Wadge, then approached Townsend Griffin and the two smiled and talked before exchanging hugs. As he exited the courtroom, Sheeran embraced and kissed wife Cherry Seaborn, who was in attendance.

"I feel like the truth was heard and the truth was believed," Sheeran told PEOPLE exclusively in the courthouse following the decision. "It's nice that we can both move on with our lives now — it's sad that it had to come to this."

Related:Ed Sheeran's 'Thinking Out Loud' Co-Writer Amy Wadge Says She Feels 'Relieved' After He Won Trial (Exclusive)

The unanimous verdict was reached after about three hours of deliberation by seven jurors in a New York City courtroom at the end of the trial, which went on for more than a week.

In a statement Sheeran read aloud outside the courthouse and distributed to reporters following the verdict, he wrote, "We have spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords which are also different and used by songwriters every day, all over the world."

"These chords are common building blocks which were used to create music long before 'Let's Get It On' was written and will be used to make music long after we are all gone," he continued. "They are a songwriter's 'alphabet', our tool kit and should be there for us all to use. No one owns them or the way they are played, in the same way, nobody owns the colour blue."

Sheeran added, "These trials take a significant toll on everybody involved, including Kathryn Townsend Griffin. I want to thank the jury for making a decision that will help to protect the creative process of songwriters here in the United States and around the world."

Related:Ed Sheeran Says 'I'm Not Going to Have to Retire from My Day Job' After Winning Copyright Trial

"I also want to thank my team who has supported me throughout this difficult process and to all the songwriters, musicians and fans who reached out with messages of support over the last few weeks," read the statement.

"Finally, I want to thank Amy Wadge. Neither of us ever expected that nine years on from our wonderful writing session that we would be here having to defend our integrity. Amy, I feel so lucky to have you in my life."

He concluded: "We need songwriters and the wider musical community to come together to bring back common sense. These claims need to be stopped so that the creative process can carry on, and we can all just go back to making music. At the same time, we absolutely need trusted individuals, real experts who help support the process of protecting copyright. Thank you."

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