The civil lawsuit was filed by heirs of Gaye co-writer Ed Townsend, who alleged that harmonic progressions and rhythmic elements of Sheeran's song were lifted without permission from the classic made famous by Gaye.

Ed Sheeran's 2014 hit "Thinking Out Loud" did not unlawfully copy from Marvin Gaye's classic 1973 song "Let's Get It On," a jury decided on Thursday in a closely watched copyright lawsuit - a verdict that the British pop star said would help protect the creative process for song writers in the U.S. and globally.