Songwriters Sue Ed Sheeran For $20M For Ripping Off “Photograph”

Glenn Hunt/Getty Images

Songwriters Sue Ed Sheeran For $20M For Ripping Off “Photograph”

Glenn Hunt/Getty Images

Good news! Ed Sheeran is finally getting sued for making shitty-ass music. Billboard reports that the British musician’s song “Photograph” came under fire this week when two songwriters, Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard, along with their publishing company HaloSongs, sued Sheeran for copyright infringement over the 2014 single “Photograph.” They claim that the song is a ripoff of their 2009 track “Amazing,” which was released by 2010 The X Factor winner Matt Cardle. Harrington and Leonard are being represented by attorney Richard Busch, who famously won the Marvin Gaye family $5.3 million in the “Blurred Lines” lawsuit.

The complaint states the following:

The songs’ similarities reach the very essence of the work… The similarities go beyond substantial, which is itself sufficient to establish copyright infringement, and are in fact striking. The similarity of words, vocal style, vocal melody, melody, and rhythm are clear indicators, among other things, that “Photograph” copies “Amazing.”

Additionally, the plaintiffs claim that the chord progressions in “Photograph” are undeniably similar, and Billboard included the following example:

SHEERAN_photograph

“Photograph” co-writers Johnny McDaid, Sony/ATV Songs, Warner Music, and Polar Patrol Music Publishing are also named in the $20 million dollar lawsuit. Listen to a comparison of the two songs below.

UPDATE: On Twitter, “Amazing” single Cardle distanced himself from Harrington and Leonard’s lawsuit and expressed his support for Sheeran.

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