Ed Sheeran is reaping the fruits of his labor after securing a second win last April on his highly-publicized "Shape of You" copyright trial.
Judge Zacaroli has ruled that the GRAMMY-winning artist had not plagiarised Sam Chokri's "Oh Why" on his 2017 hit song "Shape of You."
Sheeran was among the many artists whose songs were alleged to have been plagiarised in an older song this year. This includes Dua Lipa, Katy Perry, and Lizzo, among others.
Ed Sheeran' Shape of You' Copyright Lawsuit
In a recently published decision, the judge that ruled in favor of Ed Sheeran last April 2022 awarded the singer over $1.1 million in legal costs - this covers approximately 90% of the singer's legal bills. (via Variety)
"The starting point is to identify the winners and losers in the action because the general rule is that the unsuccessful party pays the costs of the successful party... There is no dispute as to this: [Sheeran] undoubtedly won and won on every substantial point," Judge Anthony Zacaroli said in a statement.
The highly-contested song in question is the 2017 Ed Sheeran hit, "Shape of You." The singe has co-written the song with Snow Patrol singer Johnny McDaid and Producer Steve Mac.
Sami Chokri, an English musician, argued that "Shape of You" was ripped off on his 2015 song "Oh Why," particularly the recurring "Oh-I-oh-I-oh-I-oh-I" on Sheeran's song.
Per Chokri's legal team, Sheeran had a chance to have heard of the track prior to its creation, as their common friend, the late Jamal Edwards, had played it to Sheeran - which he denied.
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However, Zacaroli ruled that argument to be "speculative."
"In my judgment, the possibility that these attempts might have led to it coming to Mr Sheeran's attention - either because someone he was associated with played it to him or because he found it himself - is at best speculative," the judge ruled at the time.
Although the win was widely celebrated as it was in favor of Sheeran, the English singer said in a video that the process took a toll on him mentally.
According to Sheeran, claims like this have become so common that it fosters a culture of baseless claiming, damaging the songwriting industry.
Aside from Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa is also in the midst of her own legal battle for "Levitating," even employing Katy Perry's legal team, who successfully fought for "Dark Horse."
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