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Ed Sheeran Denies Borrowing Ideas in ‘Shape of You’ Copyright Trial

Musician Ed Sheeran arrives at the Rolls Building for a copyright trial over his song "Shape of You", in London, Britain, March 7, 2022. (Reuters)
Musician Ed Sheeran arrives at the Rolls Building for a copyright trial over his song "Shape of You", in London, Britain, March 7, 2022. (Reuters)
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Ed Sheeran Denies Borrowing Ideas in ‘Shape of You’ Copyright Trial

Musician Ed Sheeran arrives at the Rolls Building for a copyright trial over his song "Shape of You", in London, Britain, March 7, 2022. (Reuters)
Musician Ed Sheeran arrives at the Rolls Building for a copyright trial over his song "Shape of You", in London, Britain, March 7, 2022. (Reuters)

British singer Ed Sheeran has denied borrowing ideas from other artists without attribution as he took to the stand on Monday in a copyright trial regarding his 2017 chart-topping hit "Shape of You."

The award-winning singer is in a legal battle with grime artist Sami Chokri, who performs as Sami Switch, and music producer Ross O'Donoghue, who argue "Shape of You" infringes "particular lines and phrases" from their 2015 song "Oh Why."

Questioned by their lawyer Andrew Sutcliffe on Monday, Sheeran, 31, said he had not been aware of Switch at the time he is accused of ripping off parts of "Oh Why."

Sutcliffe said Sheeran must have known of the grime artist, who he said had tweeted him directly and they had both appeared on SBTV, the British online music platform which helped launch Sheeran's career.

The lawyer said Sheeran shouted out Switch's name at Reading Festival in 2011 after being asked to by the late founder of SBTV, Jamal Edwards.

"This isn't stuff that's true," Sheeran told the High Court in London on the second day of the trial which began on Friday.

Chokri and O'Donoghue claim the "Oh I" hook in "Shape of You" is "strikingly similar" to the "Oh Why" hook in their song and that it was "extremely likely" Sheeran had previously heard their track.

Sheeran and his co-writers have denied this, with their lawyers telling the court that the trio have no recollection of having previously heard "Oh Why."

Sutcliffe, who at Friday's opening called Sheeran "a magpie," questioned the chart-topper intensively over his songwriting style and whether it was spontaneous or the result of development over time, with the influence of other artists.

He said it was "simply not true" that Sheeran made songs up as he went along, adding there was overwhelming evidence at the time of writing "Shape of You" that Sheeran was collecting ideas before writing songs.

"I don't agree with that," Sheeran, who gave his answers clearly and confidently, said.

Legal proceedings between the two parties date back from 2018 when Sheeran and co-writers Steven McCutcheon and John McDaid asked the High Court to declare they had not infringed Chokri and O'Donoghue's copyright for "Oh Why."

The latter later filed a counterclaim alleging infringement.

Released from Sheeran's third studio album "÷," "Shape of You" stormed charts around the world upon its release in January 2017, becoming the best performing song in the US that year.

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‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Tops the US Box Office

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Mason Thames, as Hiccup, riding Night Fury dragon, Toothless in a scene from "How to Train Your Dragon", (Universal Pictures via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Mason Thames, as Hiccup, riding Night Fury dragon, Toothless in a scene from "How to Train Your Dragon", (Universal Pictures via AP)
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‘How to Train Your Dragon’ Tops the US Box Office

This image released by Universal Pictures shows Mason Thames, as Hiccup, riding Night Fury dragon, Toothless in a scene from "How to Train Your Dragon", (Universal Pictures via AP)
This image released by Universal Pictures shows Mason Thames, as Hiccup, riding Night Fury dragon, Toothless in a scene from "How to Train Your Dragon", (Universal Pictures via AP)

Neither Pixar nor zombies were enough to topple “How to Train Your Dragon" from the No. 1 slot at North American box offices over the weekend. The Universal Pictures live-action remake remained the top film, bringing in $37 million in ticket sales in its second weekend, despite the sizeable new releases of “Elio” and “28 Years Later” , according to studio estimates Sunday. “How To Train Your Dragon” has rapidly amassed $358.2 million worldwide, The Associated Press reported.

Six years after its last entry, the Dean DeBlois-directed “How To Train Your Dragon” has proven a potent revival of the DreamWorks Animation franchise. A sequel is already in the works for the $150 million production, which remakes the 2010 animated tale about a Viking boy and his dragon.

Pixar's “Elio” had a particularly tough weekend. The Walt Disney Co. animation studio has often launched some of its biggest titles in June, including “Cars,” “WALL-E” and “Toy Story 4.” But “Elio,” a science fiction adventure about a boy who dreams of meeting aliens, notched a modest $21 million, the lowest opening ever for Pixar.

“This is a weak opening for a new Pixar movie,” said David A. Gross, who runs the movie consulting firm FranchiseRe. “These would be solid numbers for another original animation film, but this is Pixar, and by Pixar’s remarkable standard, the opening is well below average.”

“Elio,” originally set for release in early 2024, had a bumpy road to the screen. Adrian Molina — co-director of “Coco” — was replaced mid-production by Domee Shi (“Turning Red”) and Madeline Sharafian. Back at Disney’s D23 conference in 2022, America Ferrera appeared to announce her role as Elio’s mother, but the character doesn’t even exist in the revamped film.

Disney and Pixar spent at least $150 million making “Elio,” which didn’t fare any better internationally than it did in North America, bringing in just $14 million from 43 territories. Pixar stumbled coming out of the pandemic before stabilizing performance with 2023’s “Elemental” ($496.4 million worldwide) and 2024’s “Inside Out 2” ($1.7 billion), which was the company's biggest box office hit.

“Elemental” was Pixar's previously lowest earning film, launching with $29.6 million. It rallied in later weeks to collect nearly half a billion dollars at the box office. The company's first movie, “Toy Story,” opened with $29.1 million in 1995, or $60 when adjusted for inflation. It remains to be seen whether “Elio's” decent reviews and “A” from CinemaScore audiences can lead it to repeat “Elemental's” trajectory.

With most schools on summer break, the competition for family audiences was stiff. Disney’s own “Lilo & Stitch,” another live-action remake, continued to pull in young moviegoers. It grossed $9.7 million in its fifth weekend, bringing its global tally to $910.3 million.

“28 Years Later” signaled the return of another, far gorier franchise. Director Danny Boyle reunited with screenwriter Alex Garland to resume their pandemic apocalypse thriller 25 years after “28 Days Later” and 18 years after its sequel, “28 Weeks Later.”

The Sony Pictures release opened with $30 million. That was good enough to give Boyle, the filmmaker of “Slumdog Millionaire” and “Trainspotting,” the biggest opening weekend of his career. The film, which cost $60 million to make, jumps ahead nearly three decades from the outbreak of the so-called rage virus for a coming-of-age story about a 12-year-old (Alfie Williams) venturing out of his family’s protected village. Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Jodie Comer and Ralph Fiennes co-star.

Reviews have been good (90% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes) for “28 Years Later,” though audience reaction (a “B” CinemaScore) is mixed. Boyle has more plans for the zombie franchise, which will next see the release of “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple” next year from director Nia DaCosta.

“28 Years Later” added another $30 million in 59 overseas markets.

After its strong start last weekend with $12 million, A24’s “Materialists” held well with $5.8 million in its second weekend. The romantic drama by writer-director Celine Song and starring Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans has collected $24 million so far.

Next weekend should also be a competitive one in movie theaters, with both “F1,” from Apple and Warner Bros., and Universal’s “Megan 2.0” launching in cinemas.