On Sunday, Ed Sheeran's song Bad Habits lost the Grammy. But a few days later, he scored a bigger winner.

A High Court ruled that the singer's global hit Shape of You had not plagiarised a song by grime artist Sam Chokri. In an Instagram video, Sheeran blamed coincidence, noting that 22 million songs are released each year "and there's only 12 notes that are available" 

A successful case can lead to a huge payout. In 2018, musicians Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke were forced to pay $5m after being accused of stealing from Marvin GayeMarvin Gaye was a famous soul music singer during the 60s, 70s, and 80s. He is credited with influencing many different music styles, including Motown and R&B..

Throughout history, value has been placed on originality. From Beethoven to The Beatles, Michelangelo to Mondrian, many of the greatest artists owe their fame to doing something that has never been done before.

As long as originality has been celebrated, people have questioned whether it is possible. The writer of the Biblical Book of Ecclesiastes wrote, sometime between 400 and 250 BC: "There is nothing new under the sun." 

Our ideas often come from things we have encountered. A tune we heard as a child might leak into a song we write 20 years later.

Great art is not always original. Picasso said: "Good artists copy; great artists steal". Copying has been a part of culture for centuries. Painters traditionally learnt their craft by trying to copy works that already existed. Shakespeare borrowed most of his stories from others. Pop songs are full of samples and references to past hits. 

Many masterpieces build on the past. Raphael's Portrait of Pope Julius II influenced Velazquez's Portrait of Innocent X, which Francis Bacon adapted into his shocking painting. Each gains power through its relationship with an older painting.

Yet each could also be called original, in taking something from older work and creating something new out of it. The French philosopher Voltaire wrote: "Originality is nothing but judicious imitation. The most original writers borrowed one from another."

Yes: Anything we create comes from our experiences. And our experiences are unique to us. No matter how closely our creations resemble or draw on those of others, they come from a distinct source.

No: There are more people in the world than new ideas. Even if we set out to make something original to us, it is probably unknowingly influenced by something that we have seen, heard or done before. 

Or... Until we know everything that has ever been created, we are in no position to decide what is original or not. We should stop caring about whether x came before y, and just enjoy what we have.