Singer-song writer 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.

Other named defendants include Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid, credited as a co-writer of Photograph, units of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, Warner Music Group and its subsidiary, Atlantic Recording Corporation.

According to the lawsuit, Photograph shares 39 identical notes with Amazing. It also points to a similarity of "words, vocal style, vocal melody, melody, and rhythm".

The complaint reads: "... Sheeran and McDaid, the credited writers of the international hit song Photographhtaking scale, unabashedly taking credit for the work of these songwriters by claiming it to be their own.
This copying is, in many instances, verbatim, note-for-note copying, makes up nearly one half of Photograph, an, among others, copied, and exploited, without authorization or credit, the work of other active, professional songwriters, on a breatd raises this case to the unusual level of strikingly similar copying.

"While Sheeran, McDaid, and the other Defendants received career-defining accolades, awards, and a fortune for Photograph, the true writers of much of Photograph received nothing..."

Grammy-winning Sheeran, 25 is one of the UK's top-selling artists. He has written and co-written tracks for artists such as One Direction, Taylor Swift and Justin Bieber.

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.

 Source: Skynews