Is anything original? Ed Sheeran is fighting claims he copied another musician. But some say we should not worry about copycats anyway.
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'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.
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What's happening?
Ed Sheeran is in court. 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.
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. The ideas for most of 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.
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Is anything original?
Keywords
Plagiarism - Copying someone else's work and pretending it is your own.
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’
Copycat or brainiac? Family members of Gaye’s co-writer are seeking £90 million in damages. Glossary
Plagiarism - Copying someone else's work and pretending it is your own.
Shakespeare - An English playwright and poet who is often called the greatest writer in the English language.