Newsweek reports:
The United States’ Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has decided in favor of Led Zepplin and rejected the copyright lawsuit over the 1971 song, Stairway to Heaven. The court’s decision affirmed that the English rock band had not stolen from Spirit’s 1968 single, Taurus, in order to to create their popular track.
A jury had previously sided with Zepplin back in 2016. In the copyright dispute, the appellate court attempted to undo the trial’s decision and continue the argument with a wider panel of judges. The 9th Circuit did not object to the 2016 jury being restricted from listening to the sound recording of Taurus during trial, according to Billboard.
Bill Donahue, a reporter from Law360, tweeted snippets of the 73-page court document online. The document stated, “We affirm the judgement that Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ did not infringe Spirit’s Taurus.
On August 16th, 2016, Zepplin’s Robert Plant testified in court to preserve the song’s originality. When asked if he had ever listened to Taurus beforehand, Plant stated, “I didn’t remember it then, and I don’t remember it now,” per Rolling Stone.
On June 25th, 2016, Jimmy Page, the Led Zeppelin guitarist, also testified that he had not copied any key musical notes. Among his collection of 4,000 vinyl records, he owned five discs by Spirit. Page admitted he first heard Taurus on the internet back in 2014; according to CNN.
Read more at Newsweek.
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LED ZEPPELIN’S “STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN” MAY FACE PLAGIARISM SUIT
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AFTER THE VERDICT IS TOSSED, LED ZEPPELIN MUST RETURN TO COURT OVER “STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN” COPYRIGHT LAWSUIT
2 Responses
They stole it..plain and simple.
Led Zep opened for Spirit on their first American tour.
Spirit played “Taurus” every night on that tour.
I truly believe that Jimmy Page is one of the greatest songwriter/guitarist and producer that ever roamed the Earth.
He definitely cribbed that song.
This is what happens when you’re Dazed And Confused! 😉
Ramble On …