A jury in Los Angeles today ruled in favor of Led Zeppelin and songwriters Robert Plant and Robert Page, saying Led Zep did not steal its classic song "Stairway To Heaven" from another band.
The members of Led Zeppelin put out a statement saying they were "grateful" that the jury "ruled in our favor, putting to rest questions about the origins of 'Stairway to Heaven' and confirming what we have known for 45 years."
The song, which ranked #19 of the last 60 years in the book The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, has helped sell 23 million albums in the U.S. and over 37 million worldwide, and the plaintiffs wanted a share of that.
The song, which ranked #19 of the last 60 years in the book The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era*, has helped sell 23 million albums in the U.S. and over 37 million worldwide, and the plaintiffs wanted a share of that.
The estate of Randy Wolfe, deceased musician of Spirit, who used to tour with Led Zeppelin, had claimed that Led Zeppelin copied important note patters in the first two minutes of "Stairway To Heaven" from the '60s group Spirit and their song "Taurus". "Taurus" was released four years before "Stairway To Heaven" appeared on the untitled Zeppelin album often called Led Zeppelin IV.
The plaintiff failed to show that Plant and Page were familiar with "Taurus," and that the works were substantially similar.
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