Lawsuit Against Ed Sheeran: Grammy-winning songwriter wins copyright lawsuit against Sami Switch over ‘Oh Why’ vs. ‘Shape of You’

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

“While we are obviously happy with the outcome, I feel that claims like this are far too common now and have become a culture where a claim is made with the idea that it’s cheaper to settle than going to court even if there is is no basis for the claim,” Sheeran said in a video posted to Twitter. “It’s really detrimental to the songwriting industry.”

Andrew Sutcliffe, attorney for the co-writers of “Oh Why,” argued that there was an “undeniable resemblance between the works.” He claimed Sheeran “consciously or unconsciously” had “Oh Why” in mind when “Shape of You” was written in 2016.

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Plaintiffs alleged that the chorus “Oh I, Oh I, Oh I” in the chorus of “Shape Of You” was “strikingly similar” to the line “Oh why, Oh why, Oh why” in their track.

During the 11-day trial, Sheeran denied allegations that he “borrowed” ideas from unknown songwriters without credit, saying he’s always been fair in giving credit to people who contributed to his albums.

In Wednesday’s decision, High Court Justice Antony Zacaroli concluded that Sheeran “neither intentionally nor unknowingly” copied a line from “Oh Why” when writing his hit song.

Sheeran, McDaid and Mac said in a statement that the cost of the case was more than just financial. The stress of going to court also hurts creativity, means less time to make music, and takes an emotional toll, they said.

“It’s so painful to hear someone publicly and aggressively question their integrity,” the trio said. “It’s so painful to have to defend yourself against allegations that you did something you didn’t do and never would do. ”

“Shape of You” was the UK’s best-selling song of 2017.