Is anything original? Ed Sheeran is fighting claims he copied another musician. But some say we should not worry about copycats anyway.
'I'd be an idiot to copy Marvin Gaye'
Is anything original? Ed Sheeran is fighting claims he copied another musician. But some say we should not worry about copycats anyway.
What's happening?
Ed Sheeran's work is in front of a juryA group of people who are chosen to look at evidence about a crime and decide what the facts are. . The singer is involved in a court case. Some people say his 2014 hit song Thinking Out Loud is too similar to Marvin Gaye's 1973 song Let's Get It On. They accuse Sheeran of copying Gaye.
It is not the first time Sheeran has been accused of plagiarismCopying someone else's work and pretending it is your own. - or copying the work of other artists and claiming it is his own.
But Sheeran says he did not copy Gaye. He argues that all pop songs are built on building blocks - and that anyone can use them.
Every day, 60,000 new songs are added to SpotifyThe Swedish audio streaming platform has over 381 million monthly active users. It was named after one of its two founders misheard a name the other suggested.. Most pop songs are based on the same four chords. It is impossible, many say, to come up with something that has never been done before.
Find out more
Many think there is no need to be original. ShakespeareAn English playwright and poet who is often called the greatest writer in the English language. is a popular example. He is known as one of the world's best writers. But it is agreed that the ideas for his plays came from short stories and books by other writers. Yet no one accuses him of copying.
Yes! Everyone is a different person. Therefore our work should be different too. It is wrong to take other people's work without mentioning them.
No! More than 100 billion people have lived on planet Earth. Today, it is impossible to do something for the first time ever.
Is anything original?
Keywords
Jury - A group of people who are chosen to look at evidence about a crime and decide what the facts are.
Plagiarism - Copying someone else's work and pretending it is your own.
Spotify - The Swedish audio streaming platform has over 381 million monthly active users. It was named after one of its two founders misheard a name the other suggested.
Shakespeare - An English playwright and poet who is often called the greatest writer in the English language.
‘I’d be an idiot to copy Marvin Gaye’
Glossary
Jury - A group of people who are chosen to look at evidence about a crime and decide what the facts are.
Plagiarism - Copying someone else's work and pretending it is your own.
Spotify - The Swedish audio streaming platform has over 381 million monthly active users. It was named after one of its two founders misheard a name the other suggested.
Shakespeare - An English playwright and poet who is often called the greatest writer in the English language.