Led Zeppelin cleared of plagiarism in Stairway case

[Locutus]

good. now we can get on with our lives.


Led Zeppelin did not plagiarise the opening chords of the rock epic Stairway to Heaven from the US band Spirit, a Los Angeles jury has found.

It said the riff Led Zeppelin was accused of taking from Spirit's 1967 song Taurus "was not intrinsically similar" to Stairway's opening.

But it said Led Zeppelin singer Robert plant had access to Taurus. Stairway to Heaven was released in 1971.

The case was brought on behalf of Spirit's late guitarist, Randy Wolfe.

During the trial, defence lawyers argued that the chord progression in question was very common and had been in use for more than 300 years.

The prosecution had argued Led Zeppelin became familiar with Spirit's song after the two bands played on the same bill in Plant's hometown at a club in the English city of Birmingham in 1970.

mo

Led Zeppelin cleared of plagiarism in Stairway case - BBC News

 

[lone wolf]

Neither did Men At Work. Good thing this judge could hear....

 

[Ludlow]

All them old wrinkled up turkey necked Rock geezers need to get to the fookin shuffleboard courts and accept the fact that they be decrepit old fogies..

 

[Corduroy]

Meanwhile BHO fiddles while Rock burns. Now watch this drive.

 

[SLM]

They be dazed and confused.....

....but now they got....

....whole lotta (Zepplin) love.....

As the saying goes.....

....it's all Rock & Roll to me.....

 

[lone wolf]

Or the politically incorrect one....

 

[Danbones]

Girl Plays Stairway To Heaven solo
www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9ykjfozTco
somehow its all become rather generic

 

[coldstream]

This was such a obvious cash grab initiated by lawyers who search the globe for well heeled targets hoping for settlements by way of frivolous lawsuits.

The most compelling evidence of the genuine authorship of Stairway to Heaven by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, was their always acknowledged debt to an unkown composer of medieval mandolin music, which sounded much more like the intro to Stairway than Spirit and Randy Wolfes' small, generic note structure. These sources influenced many rock groups in the early 70s, at the height of Tolkein rock mysticism, and of course it is all in the public domain and open to all.

Good to see honest artists vindicated, and greed besotted lawyers vanquished.