Ed Sheeran Says 'I'm Not Going to Have to Retire from My Day Job' After Winning Copyright Trial
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Sheeran was found not liable in a lawsuit filed against him for alleged copyright infringement over his 2014 single "Thinking Out Loud"
Ed Sheeran isn't going anywhere.
The singer-songwriter, 32, shared an uplifting message to fans on Thursday after being found not liable in a lawsuit filed against him for alleged copyright infringement over his 2014 single "Thinking Out Loud."
As Sheeran explained, the jury's decision "will help to protect the creative process of songwriters here in the United States and around the world." And he ultimately isn't "going to have to retire from my day job after all," after vowing to do so if he were to be found liable in the suit — in which he was accused by Structured Asset Sales of lifting direct elements of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On" for "Thinking Out Loud."
"But, at the same time, I am unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all," the musician wrote in a statement shared with PEOPLE. "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."
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Sheeran continued, sharing that the chords used in his hit song are "common building blocks which were used to create music long before 'Let's Get It On,'" equating them to a songwriter's "alphabet" and arguing that "no one owns them, or the way they are played, in the same way, nobody owns the color blue."
"Unfortunately, unfounded claims like this one are being fuelled by individuals who are offered as experts in musical analysis. In this instance, the other side's musicologist left out words and notes, presented simple (and different) pitches as melody, creating misleading comparisons and disinformation to find supposed similarities where none exist," Sheeran wrote, adding that they "tried to manipulate" the song to convince the jury.
"This seems so dangerous to me, both for potential claimants who may be convinced to bring a bogus claim, as well as those songwriters facing them," he added. "It is simply wrong. By stopping this practice, we can also properly support genuine music copyright claims so that legitimate claims are rightly heard and resolved."
Sheeran then explained that if the jury had found him liable, it would negatively impact "creative freedom of songwriters," who should be able to create "original music and engage in independent creation without worrying at every step of the way that such creativity will be wrongly called into question."
"Like artists everywhere, [songwriter] Amy [Wadge] and I work hard to independently create songs which are often based around real-life, personal experiences," Sheeran added. "It is devastating to be accused of stealing other people's songs when we have put so much work into our livelihoods."
Related:Ed Sheeran Performs Live in Court to Jury in Copyright Trial, Says He Wrote '10 Songs' This Week
"I am just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I am not and will never allow myself to be a piggy bank for anyone to shake. Having to be in New York for this trial has meant that I have missed being with my family at my grandmother's funeral in Ireland. I won't get that time back."
After thanking the jury, his legal team and Wadge, Sheeran encouraged the music 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," he concluded. "At the same time, we absolutely need trusted individuals, real experts who help support the process of protecting copyright. Thank you."
On Thursday, the jury's unanimous verdict was reached after about three hours of deliberation by seven jurors in a New York City courtroom, following a revelation on the stand Tuesday about what Sheeran would do if the court finds "Thinking Out Loud" to be too similar to "Let's Get It On." "If that happens, I'm done, I'm stopping," Sheeran said at the time.
"I find it to be really insulting," he added. "I work really hard to be where I'm at."
Related:Ed Sheeran Says He's 'Done' If He Loses in 'Let's Get It On' Copyright Lawsuit: 'I Work Really Hard'
Luckily for fans, Sheeran is staying, as he hugged his legal team and cowriter Amy Wadge after the verdict was read, before he approached plaintiff Kathryn Townsend Griffin to chat and then exchanged a hug. Before exiting the courtroom, Sheeran also 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."
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