Three of the four members of British heavy rock group Led Zeppelin, singer Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and drummer John Bonham pose for a photo in Embankment Gardens, London on Sept. 16, 1970. (Photo : Getty Images/ Ian Showell/Keystone)
Led Zepellin's "Stairway to Heaven" is original and was not lifted from the rock band Spirit's "Taurus," according to Los Angeles jurors. The unanimous verdict drops the copyright infringement lawsuit filed against the iconic band that claimed that Led Zepellin plagiarized their signature track.
The English rock band that popularized hit songs "Kashmir, "Heartbreaker" and "Black Dog" was sued by the Michael Skidmore, a trustee of the estate of the Spritit guitarist Randy Wolfe. Skidmore alleged that the guitar introduction of Led Zepellin's "Stairway to Heaven" was taken from "Taurus." The plaintiff asked for payment of damages, including songwriting credit to Wolfe amounting to $40 million.
"We are grateful for the jury's conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favor, Entertainment Weekly quoted Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant as saying after the verdict's announcement. "Putting to rest questions about the origins of "Stairway to Heaven" and confirming what we have known for 45 years."
The announcement followed a weeklong legal battle that concluded that "Stairway to Heaven" of Zepellin, one of the highest-selling rock acts of all time differs from "Taurus." The jury found that Plant and Page both had access to "Taurus," however, the guitar riffs of the songs were intrinsically different.
Page and Plant co-wrote the "Stairway to Heaven" and was released in 1971. The British band functioned as a front act for the disbanded American band in 1968.
Led Zepellin's "Stairway to Heaven" copyright lawsuit came a year after singers Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were sued by Martin Gaye's family over the similarity of "Blurred Lines" to Gaye's "Got to give It Up." Thicke and Williams were asked to pay $7.3 million but was lowered to $5.3 million.
The winning of Zepellin in the case has become an eye opener for musicians and lawyers to analyze the case carefully before filing a copyright lawsuit in the future, The Verge reported. With the case, musicians are now becoming very careful of claiming the songwriting credits to avoid facing any legal copyright infringement case.
Despite the court's decision, Skidmore still argued that they would have won the case if the jurors listened to the sound recording of "Taurus." Plaintiff attorney Francis Malofiy also revealed that Zepellin just won on technicality.
Check out Led Zepellin's live performance of "Stairway to Heaven"
