Such a record “allows the court to reasonably infer that the plaintiff has ownership of the copyright in 2020” and can pursue a lawsuit, Abrams wrote.
However, the judge put the case on hold, citing a “significant overlap” with the plaintiff’s separate lawsuit against Sheeran for copyright from 1973 based solely on the scores of Gaye’s song, and presented as a “deposit copy.” at the United States Copyright Office.
Structured Asset Sales, which is seeking more than $ 100 million in damages, filed the record a month after a federal appeals court, in a case involving Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” said the rights of Author of unpublished works according to a 1909 federal law are “defined by the deposit copy”.
Everything seems to indicate that the 2020 record of the song covers “musical elements” that are not in the score.