Ed Sheeran and his songwriting partners have been awarded more than £900,000 ($1.1 million) in legal costs following their victory in a high-profile copyright case over the 2017 global hit ” Shape of You”. The verdict was issued on Tuesday (local time).

In April, judge Antony Zacaroli ruled that Sheeran and his “Shape of You” co-writers, Steven McCutcheon and Johnny McDaid, did not “knowingly or unconsciously” infringe a 2015 song called “Oh Why” is by a British artist named Sami Chokri – who performs as Sami Switch.

The ruling comes nearly four years after Chokri and his producer Ross O’Donoghue first accused Sheeran and his collaborators of copying a key part of their song and including it in “Shape of You.” “.

Chokri and O’Donoghue alleged that the “Oh I” hook in “Shape of You” was “shockingly similar” to the “Oh Why” chorus of their own composition. Ed Sheeran’s team denied the claims and launched legal proceedings in May 2018, asking the UK High Court to declare them not infringing any copyrights.

The case culminated in an 11-day trial in London in March and April, which saw Sheeran repeatedly take the stand, where he faced accusations that he was a “concubine”. Magpies”, who frequently borrowed ideas from other musicians.

After Sheeran won the case, lawyers for Chokri and O’Donoghue argued that Ed and the other claimants should pay their own legal costs, arguing that they had failed to provide documents and demonstrated “clumsiness”. about and obscure”.

However, making the costs order on Tuesday, the judge said: “I consider it appropriate that the plaintiffs’ success be reflected when their costs are paid by the defendants… “.

The judge did not accept those charges and ruled that Sheeran and his co-writers were entitled to an “interim payment” of £916,200, to be paid by Chokri and O’Donoghue. A detailed assessment of the costs due will be carried out by another senior judge, who may decide to disallow some of the claimant’s costs and reduce the total payment due.