It has been a good week for Ed Sheeran or, more specifically, his songwriting.
After winning a copyright court battle, the singer has been nominated as Songwriter of the Year at this year’s Ivor Novello awards.
But Ed says the experience of defending his track Shape of You against “baseless” claims that it ripped off
Sami Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue’s 2015 song Oh Why took its toll on him
professionally and mentally.
A High Court judge ruled that 31-year-old Ed and co-writers Johnny McDaid and Steven McCutcheon “neither deliberately nor subconsciously” copied a phrase from the track.
In a statement, the trio said the case had cost them more than just financially. “There is a cost on creativity,” they said. “When we are tangled up in law suits, we are not making music or playing shows.
“There is a cost on our mental health. The stress it causes on all sides is immense.
“It affects so many aspects of our everyday lives and the lives of our families and friends. We are not corporations. We are not entities. We are human beings. We are songwriters.”
They added: “It is so painful to hear someone publicly, and aggressively, challenge your integrity.” The statement also said such cases impact “the wider circle of songwriters everywhere”.
The musicians hoped the ruling would set a precedent for other artists “to express themselves fearlessly”.
They added there should be due process for “legitimate and warranted copyright protection” but added: “That is not the same as having a culture where
unwarranted claims are easily brought.
“This is not constructive or conducive to a culture of creativity.”
In an additional video on social media, Ed – who is up for three Ivor Novello awards – hit out at the “damaging” culture where settlements are deemed preferable to lengthy court battles.
“There are only so many notes and very few chords used in pop music. Coincidences are bound to happen.”
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Idris Elba
Don’t worry, Idris Elba hasn’t let himself go...
During an appearance on US TV, chat show host Jimmy Kimmel did his best to make Idris “unsexy” by giving him a dodgy wig, some false teeth, a beer gut and some questionable clobber.
“You can try,” joked Idris – who was back to his standard sexy self at the LA premiere of
his latest film, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, with
wife Sabrina and daughter Isan. “You’ll never take me down. I’ll be sexy forever.”
Phew, in that case, he may still be in the running to be the next Bond.
Laurence Lewellyn-Bowen
A group of celebs embarked on a pilgrimage to learn about Irish monk St Columba and, of course, the trip came with its challenges.
Namely, for Laurence Lewellyn-Bowen, being filmed in his sleeping bag. “We developed these very sneaky ways of putting our teeth in without anyone noticing,” says the interior designer.
"And doing our mascara before they realised.”
See Laurence in all his glamour in Pilgrimage: The Road to the Scottish Isles, on BBC Two tomorrow.
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