Court Agrees To Led Zeppelin “Stairway To Heaven” Retrial
Even though a Los Angeles jury ruled in 2016 that Led Zeppelin did not plagiarize a piece of another song to create “Stairway To Heaven,” it seems the matter is…
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 09: Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Jason Bonham and John Paul Jones attend premiere of “Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day” at Ziegfeld Theatre on October 9, 2012 in New York City. Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant along with Jason Bonham attend premiere of Celebration Day at Ziegfeld Theatre in New York. Celebration Day captures their 2007 tribute concert for Atlantic Records Founder Ahmet Ertegun at London’s O2 Arena. Film will be released worldwide on October 17, 2012 by Omniverse Vision on 1,500 screens in over 40 territories, it will then be available in multiple video and audio formats on November 19, 2012. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images)
Kevin Mazur/Getty ImagesEven though a Los Angeles jury ruled in 2016 that Led Zeppelin did not plagiarize a piece of another song to create "Stairway To Heaven," it seems the matter is still not settled.
Last fall, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously agreed to rehear the case, claiming that the original trial judge committed errors.
On Monday, an 11-judge panel said it will review that second ruling, looking at whether sound should be factored in a copyright decision, rather than
just the sheet music.
Back in 2014, the estate for guitarist Randy Wolfe claimed that Zep ripped off the opening to Spirit's song "Taurus" when writing the 1971 classic rock epic.
Listen at about :48 into the video of "Taurus"
"Stairway to Heaven"
Do you hear any similarities between the two songs? How would you rule if on this jury?
