'Let's Get it On' ... In Court

EXCLUSIVE

Ed Sheeran is on the receiving end of a monster $100 million lawsuit by a company claiming the singer ripped off a Marvin Gaye classic.

A company called Structured Asset Sales filed the lawsuit, claiming Ed's song, "Thinking Out Loud," is a carbon copy of Gaye's "Let's Get it On."

According to the lawsuit, Sheeran's song has the same melody, rhythms, harmonies, drums, bassline, backing chorus, tempo, syncopation and looping as "Let's Get it On."

Gaye's song was written by a guy named Edward Townsend and Gaye in 1973. Townsend died in 2003, and Structured Asset Sales bought one third of the copyright. So, take that in ... the claim is that just 1/3 of the song is worth $100 MIL!.

Sheeran's song was a huge hit ... nominated for a Grammy for Best Record, Best Performance and Song of the Year in 2016.

And, according to the docs, Ed's single and the album it's on -- "X" -- sold more than 15 million copies and the song has been played on YouTube more than a billion times.