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Forensic musicologists were called by both sides to argue the case. One said the songs were "distinctly different" but the other argued they contained "significant similarities".
Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You' was the UK's best-selling single of 2017 and is Spotify's most-streamed song of all time. But it's been the subject of a bitter row. Now, Sheeran has won a High Court copyright battle after a judge ruled that the singer-songwriter had not plagiarised the 2015 song 'Oh Why' by Sami Chokri. Chokri, a grime artist who performs under the name Sami Switch, had claimed the "Oh I" hook in Sheeran's track was "strikingly similar" to an "Oh why" refrain in his own track.
After the ruling, Sheeran said such "baseless" claims were "way too common". In a video on social media, he says there's now a culture "where a claim is made with the idea that a settlement will be cheaper than taking it to court, even if there's no basis for the claim". He added: "It's really damaging to the song writing industry. There's only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music. Chokri said he felt "robbed" by an artist he respected, and that he wished the trial had never come to court. He remained adamant that Sheeran had heard and copied his song. In the end, the judge disagreed.
For 5 Minutes On, the ΒιΆΉΤΌΕΔ's Music Reporter, Mark Savage, explains all -- and looks at whether this ruling will be a turning point for arguments like this within the music industry.
Image Credit: Ed Sheeran public post on social accounts
