Ed Sheeran “neither deliberately nor subconsciously copied” the British songwriter Sami Chokri to write his superhit “Shape of You,” a British judge ruled today (April 6). The judge dismissed Chokri’s plagiarism lawsuit after a high-profile, 11-day hearing on whether Chokri’s 2015 song “Oh Why,” as Sami Switch, inspired the “Oh, I” hook in Sheeran’s single.
Chokri’s lawyer had described Sheeran as “a magpie,” saying he “borrows ideas and throws them into his songs,” according to The New York Times. The judge said there was “no more than speculative” evidence that Sheeran had heard the song.
After the verdict, Sheeran said on social media that “coincidences are bound to happen if 60,000 songs are released every day on Spotify,” adding that he is “not a corporation.” It was revealed during the trial that Sheeran has written 25 songs with the National’s Aaron Dessner, as the BBC’s Mark Savage noted.
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