Nov 1 (Reuters) - Ed Sheeran, his record label Warner

Music ( WMG ) and music publisher Sony Music Publishing

persuaded a U.S. appeals court on Friday to uphold a decision

that his hit "Thinking Out Loud" did not illegally copy from

Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed with a decision

by a federal judge in Manhattan to dismiss the lawsuit from

Structured Asset Sales, which owns rights to Gaye's song which

previously belonged to "Let's Get It On" co-writer Ed Townsend.

Sheeran previously defeated a separate copyright lawsuit

from Townsend's heirs in a closely watched trial.