Ed Sheeran sued for $20M for Copying “X Factor” Winner’s Song

Sky News reports that Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran is facing a $20m (£13.8m) lawsuit for allegedly copying a song released by X Factor winner Matt Cardle.

The songwriters behind Cardle’s 2011 single Amazing claim Sheeran “exploited” their work on a “breathtaking scale” for his 2015 hit Photograph.

The copyright infringement lawsuit, filed in California by Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard, alleges Photograph has the same musical composition as Amazing, which in some instances amounts to “note-for-note copying”.


Photograph has sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide and features prominently in romantic drama movie Me Before You, which was released last week, according to the lawsuit. It has also had a whopping 208 million YouTube views.

Amazing, on the other hand, reached No 84 in the UK charts and had just one million YouTube hits.

Mr Harrington and Mr Leonard are seeking a jury trial, damages in excess of $20m and royalties from the song.

A permanent injunction is also sought on Photograph, which could stop Sheeran from performing the song in future or selling recordings.

The lawsuit comes after the family of late soul singer Marvin Gaye won a $7.4m copyright infringement lawsuit against Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams over their hit song Blurred Lines.