Ed Sheeran says Shape Of You lawsuit ‘cost mental health and stress’ after winning case

msn.com:

Ed Sheeran has detailed the stress and ‘cost on [his] mental health’ caused by the Shape Of You copyright battle.  The 31-year-old singer won the High Court case on Wednesday alongside Snow Patrol’s Johnny McDaid and producer Steven McCutcheon, also known as Steve Mac.

Two songwriters, Sami Chokri and Ross O’Donoghue, had alleged that Sheeran’s 2017 hit single infringed on ‘particular lines and phrases’ from their track, Oh Why.

However, in his ruling, Mr Justice Zacaroli said ‘the two phrases play very different roles in their respective songs’. Sheeran, McDaid and McCutcheon released a joint statement after their triumph, and spoke of the emotional toll the case has taken.  ‘There was a lot of talk throughout this case about cost.

But there is more than just a financial cost,’ they began. They later thanked their supporters for their ‘messages of love’, and thanked the publishers who ‘stood shoulder to shoulder with us at every step of the way.