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Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
Entertainment
Asharq Al-Awsat

Ed Sheeran Wins Copyright Case over 2017 Hit 'Shape of You'

Musician Ed Sheeran arrives at the Rolls Building, High Court in central London, Tuesday, March 15, 2022. (AP)

Grammy Award-winning songwriter Ed Sheeran has won a UK copyright battle over the 2017 hit "Shape of You."

The British pop star and his co-writers, Snow Patrol’s John McDaid and producer Steven McCutcheon, had denied allegations that the 2017 song copied part of 2015's "Oh Why" by Sami Chokri, who performs under the name Sami Switch.

Sheeran and his co-writers said they did not remember hearing "Oh Why" before the court case.

In a ruling on Wednesday, Judge Antony Zacaroli concluded that Sheeran "neither deliberately nor subconsciously” copied a phrase from "Oh Why" when writing his smash hit.

"Shape of You" was the biggest-selling song in the UK in 2017.

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