Ed Sheeran threatens to quit music if he loses copyright trial

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Ed Sheeran has threatened to quit music if he loses his current copyright infringement trial.

During his testimony in a federal court in Manhattan on Monday, Sheeran stated he would quit his music career if a jury finds him liable for plagiarising Marvin Gaye's 1973 soul classic Let's Get It On with his hit single Thinking Out Loud.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the 32-year-old stated, "If that happens, I'm done, I'm stopping."

The singer-songwriter expressed his frustration over the accusations and the potential impact on his career, saying, "I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it."

He also accused the prosecuting lawyer of trying to "diminish my success", noting that Thinking Out Loud got him his first Grammy Award.

The family of Let's Get It On co-writer Ed Townsend are suing the singer for seeking $100 million (£73 million).

They claim Thinking Out Loud has "striking similarities" to Let's Get It On, including a similar chord progression. Sheeran has refuted these claims, stating that his 2014 ballad is a unique piece of work and features popular "building blocks that have been freely available for hundreds of years".

Sheeran was previously involved in a copyright trial in the U.K. last year over his song Shape of You. He won that case.

The trial continues.