The legendary British band Led Zeppelin is no stranger to copyright infringement claims, but this time the band is on the right side of history according to a Los Angeles jury.
Perhaps the band’s most famous song, “Stairway to Heaven” was at the center of a lawsuit alleging that parts of the Zeppelin song were ripped from the band Spirit’s instrumental song, “Taurus.” Spirit’s track was released in 1968, while “Stairway to Heaven” did not come out until 1971.
The man who filed the lawsuit is Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the estate of the late founder of Spirit, Randy Wolfe. Wolfe was also known by his stage name, Randy California. Living Zeppelin members Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and Jimmy Page all testified at the trial they had not heard the song in question prior to penning their hit.
However, the two bands did tour together in the 1960s, and the jury found that Zeppelin likely did have access to the song prior to developing “Stairway to Heaven.” Still, the jury determined the claim of copyright infringement was not provable because the songs did not sound similar enough.
While the jury found that Jimmy Page & Robert Plant had access to Taurus before writing Stairway To Heaven, songs not substantially similar.
— Pamela Chelin (@PamelaChelin) June 23, 2016
Although the jury ruled in Zeppelin’s favor, the suit from Skidmore was not completely baseless. The two songs do have an air of similarity to one another. Take a listen for yourself, and pay close attention to “Taurus” around the 45 second mark.
While the song in its entirety is hardly comparable to “Stairway to Heaven,” occasionally the guitar plucking sounds eerily similar to the opening riff on Zeppelin’s megahit. Just in case you aren’t familiar, here is the other song.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYq0MTvCGzA
With Skidmore’s lawsuit falling short for the time being, the original song credits will remain unaltered. However, Zeppelin may not be out of the woods yet. Skidmore’s legal team suggested the fight might not be over.
Skidmore attorney Malofiy tells me: "There are many appealable issues. Obviously I will have to discuss with my client." #StairwayToHeaven
— Pamela Chelin (@PamelaChelin) June 23, 2016
Led Zeppelin is no stranger to copyright infringement lawsuits. The band has been involved with at least six of such claims. Zeppelin hits like “Whole Lotta Love,” “Dazed and Confused,” and “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” have all faced legal action, with the band ultimately reaching out-of-court settlements with the plaintiffs.
