Pop star Ed Sheeran recently faced an interesting rebuttal to his argument that the lack of copied musical elements in his copyrighted sheet music kept him from infringing upon others’ works. In a case presented to the Second Circuit, a party who purchased music composition rights countered, saying that sheet music protections should not confine which components of songs are safeguarded against copying.
This dispute emphasizes the increasingly complicated role of IP in an ever-evolving music industry. The outcome may shape how the law sees and treats copyrighted sheet music and recorded music moving forward.
The comprehensive account of the case can be found at Law360 here.