Ed Sheeran Reveals Retirement Status After Copyright Verdict

The results of Ed Sheeran's copyright trial are in, and with them, the status of his career.

The "Tenerife Sea" singer recently went to trial after he was accused of infringing on the copyright of Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," allegedly plagiarizing parts of the song when he wrote "Thinking Out Loud."

Earlier this week, when asked how he would react if the court ruled against him in the end, Sheeran replied, "If that happens, I’m done. I’m stopping…" indicating that he'd be retiring from songwriting and performing. "To have someone come in and say, ‘We don’t believe you, you must have stole it’… I find it really insulting to work my whole life as a singer-songwriter and diminish it.”

Luckily for Sheeran and his fans, the jury has sided with him, clearing him of any and all accused wrongdoing.

Sheeran spoke with reporters outside following the verdict, saying, "I'm obviously very happy with the outcome of the case, and it looks like I'm not having to retire from my day job after all."

Still, he said he's "unbelievably frustrated" by the fact that "baseless claims" such as this one are permitted to move through the court system, revealing that this saga has been going on for years.

"We've 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." He pointed out that the chords in question are "common building blocks" for musicians that were used long before Gaye's hit track was written and will continue to be used long after anyone listening to Sheeran today is gone, likening them to "a songwriter's alphabet."

He continued, "No one owns them or the way that they are played..."

Before the video concluded, he hypothesized, "If the jury had decided this matter the other way, we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters."

It's a good thing he wasn't forced to retire because the singer is set to step in as an American Idol judge this week as Katy Perry and Lionel Richie perform during King Charles' coronation weekend.

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