In a key ruling, the federal appeals court affirmed that Ed Sheeran's "Thinking Out Loud" did not infringe on Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On," establishing limitations on copyright protection for musical compositions.
The judges stated, "Basic musical building blocks like notes, rhythms, and chords are generally not copyrightable," reinforcing the idea that commonplace elements shouldn't have exclusive rights.
The ruling has sparked discussions among copyright scholars about the relevance of the deposit copy rule established by the 1909 Copyright Act, highlighting a potential misalignment with contemporary music creation.
The appellate decision reflects a judicial consensus that the four-chord pattern claimed as original by the appellants was neither unique nor copyrightable, marking a significant precedent in music copyright cases.
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