Sheeran settles £16m breach of copyright lawsuit over Photograph single

Ed Sheeran has settled a copyright infringement lawsuit over his hit song Photograph. Musicians Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard had sued Sheeran for $20m (£16m) after claiming his song was similar to their composition, Amazing. Harrington and Leonard, along with their publishing company HaloSongs, alleged that Photograph drew on a song they penned in 2009 which was recorded and released as a single by Matt Cardle, the winner of the 2010 series of The X Factor.

I can confirm the case has settled but cannot comment further.

Richard Busch, lawyer

The lawsuit claimed that Amazing had been copied “verbatim” with “note for note copying,” the Hollywood Reporter said. Sheeran’s publicists at Atlantic Records and his lawyers are yet to respond to a request for comment. Sheeran also faces a lawsuit over allegations he copied the core elements of Marvin Gaye classic Let’s Get It On for his song Thinking Out Loud.

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