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Sheeran awarded costs for ‘Shape of You’ copyright win
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His win: British singer Ed Sheeran performs at the Platinum Pageant in London on June 5 as part of Queen Elizabeth II's platinum jubilee celebrations. (AFP/Hannah Mckay/Pool)
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High Court judge in London on Tuesday awarded Ed Sheeran and his co-songwriters more than £900,000 (US$1.1 million) in legal costs after winning a copyright trial over his hit "Shape of You".
The 31-year-old Sheeran was taken to court and accused of copying a phrase from the British grime track "Oh Why" when writing the worldwide smash.
But judge Antony Zacaroli ruled in April this year after an 11-day trial that the star "neither deliberately nor subconsciously" plagiarized the hook.
On Wednesday, the judge said the artists who brought the claim -- Sami Chokri and Ross O'Donoghue -- should pay legal costs.
He ordered an interim payment of £916,200.
Sheeran welcomed the initial ruling but said that "baseless" copyright claims were "damaging the songwriting industry".
