Ed Sheeran's copyright trial against Marvin Gaye had taken a very dramatic turn of events when one of the plaintiffs fainted mid-session, causing the whole trial to be delayed.
Sheeran is contesting that his song "Thinking Out Loud" infringes on Marvin Gaye's song "Let's Get It On," making this song the second record he had that has been sued for allegedly copying another track.
Ed Sheeran Trial Update: Plaintiff Fainted Mid-Session
In a report by CNN, one of the plaintiffs in the case, Townsend Griffin (the daughter of the late original writer Ed Griffin), fainted while Ed Sheeran's lawyer was cross-examining a musicologist to determine the similarities or a lack thereof found on the two tracks.
While doing so, Griffin was reported to have closed her eyes during the attack, and his legs buckled, prompting everyone in the courtroom, including both camp's lawyers, to rush to her help. Calling 911, Griffin was taken out by a stretcher from the courtroom. She was then rushed to the hospital to receive medical attention, as revealed by an inquiry at the latter end of the proceeding.
Because of Griffin's fainting, the whole court proceeding was delayed for about 15 minutes before the musicologists' testimony was continued.
READ ALSO: Ed Sheeran 'Shape Of You' Jay-Z Duet Scrapped: Here's Why
Ed Sheeran Trial Update: Musicologist Says Songs Was 'Very Very Similar'
It seemed like the musicologist's testimony to the court did not side on Sheeran's behalf.
According to Alexander Stewart, the musicologist, not only that the two songs have the "same" harmonic rhythm, in his view, as reported by Variety, the two tracks sounded "very, very similar."
Elsewhere during the proceeding, as reported by Business Insider, Stewart sent everyone laughing, even Sheeran himself, when he played a "soulless" Artificial Intelligence version of "Let's Get It On" to simply demonstrate the similarities of both tracks.
He was firm in his stand that both songs repeat the same four chords in their entirety. However, Sheeran said in another hearing that these chords had been widely used in pop songs throughout history.
Did Ed Sheeran Copy Marvin Gaye's Song?
In an effort to dismiss the trial last year, Sheeran said that the elements were too small to be protected by copyright, but the presiding judge ruled that even though a song was composed of entirely unprotected elements, it could still constitute an infringement.
The opposing counsel even pointed out that Sheeran "confessed" to copying the song when he performed a mashup of the two songs in a performance in Switzerland in 2014.
youtube
READ ALSO: Ed Sheeran's 'Eyes Closed' Dethrones Miley Cyrus' 'Flowers on UK Singles Chart
