Ed Sheeran Being Sued for $20 Million Over Song "Photograph"

The film "Me Before You," adapted from the book of the same name, proved to be a major box office success. The film used pop star Ed Sheeran's hit song "Photograph" in its official soundtrack to great effect, but the song itself and its singer have found themselves in hot water.

According to reports from the Daily Mail, Ed Sheeran is being sued by the songwriters of X Factor winner Matt Cardle's song "Amazing" over copyright claims that Sheeran's "Photograph" is a note for note copy of the song. The songwriters are Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard, who have written hits for stars such as Kylie Minogue and Emma Burton.

Cardle competed in the X Factor back in 2010 and won the whole competition over acts such as One Direction. However, Cardle's popularity has died down since he won the competition 6 years ago.

In the suit, the plaintiff's claim to have a problem with 39 notes in the chorus of "Photograph," which "share pitch, rhythmic duration, and placement in the measure" when compared to "Amazing." The lawsuit adds, "Given the striking similarity between the chorus of Amazing and Photograph, (the) defendants knew... they were infringing on a pre-existing musical composition."

The chord structures of the two songs were compared and presented as court documents, as per BBC News. This along with other documents concerning the case was filed at the Los Angeles Federal Court on Wednesday, June 8. Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid is also being sued for his role as "Photograph" co-writer.

Cardle himself is not involved in the lawsuit, but the lawyer Richard Busch is. For those unfamiliar, Busch represented Marvin Gaye's family when they filed a lawsuit against Robin Thicke and T.I. alleging that the song "Blurred Lines" is a copy of one of Gaye's songs. Busch won $7 million on behalf of the Gaye family.