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A
court filing on Wednesday said that songwriter Ed Townsend's
estate would withdraw the appeal with prejudice, which means it
cannot be refiled.
Sheeran's lawyer Ilene Farkas on Thursday said the estate
"recognized that an appeal would end up with the verdict being
affirmed but also with them being exposed to legal fees and
costs, and wisely withdrew."
Attorneys for Townsend's estate did not immediately respond to a
request for comment on Thursday.
Townsend's heirs sued Sheeran, Warner Music and Sony Music for
copyright infringement in 2017, claiming Sheeran's 2014 hit
"Thinking Out Loud" copied the "heart" of Gaye's 1973 classic
including its melody, harmony and rhythm.
Sheeran's attorneys countered in the closely watched case that
any similarities between the songs involved basic musical
"building blocks" that could not be copyrighted.
A jury determined after a six-day trial in May that Sheeran's
song did not infringe Townsend's copyright in "Let's Get It On."
Sheeran after the trial said the decision would "help protect
the creative process for songwriters here in the United States
and all around the world."
Later that month, the judge who presided over the trial ruled
that Sheeran also did not violate part of Townsend's songwriting
copyright owned by "Bowie Bonds" creator David Pullman's
Structured Asset Sales LLC. Pullman's company has a separate
lawsuit pending against Sheeran based on its rights in the sound
recording of "Let's Get It On."
Pullman on Thursday said the dismissal of the Townsend case will
not affect either of Structured Asset Sales' cases.
(Reporting by Blake Brittain in Washington; Editing by David
Bario and Mark Porter)
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