Zep being sued over "Stairway" infingement

IdRatherBeSkiing

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May 28, 2007
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Wouldn't be the first to win. Somewhere there has to be 2 or 3 chords put together on some other piece of music which sound similar. Examples of previous losers: Ghostbusters -- Ray Parker Jr., DownUnder -- Men At Work
 

Tecumsehsbones

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Mar 18, 2013
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Wouldn't be the first to win. Somewhere there has to be 2 or 3 chords put together on some other piece of music which sound similar. Examples of previous losers: Ghostbusters -- Ray Parker Jr., DownUnder -- Men At Work
George Harrison. The court ruled that "My Sweet Lord" violated the copyright of the Shirelles' "He's So Fine."
 

coldstream

on dbl secret probation
Oct 19, 2005
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Lawyers scouring the terrain for someone or something to sue.

Virtually every song is indebted or resembles to some degree a riff or some arrangement of notes to something else, but that does not constitute copyright infringement.

Jimmy Page did an interview on the development of Stairway to Heaven.. which was very unique, especially in its acceleration of tempo.. on the 40th anniversary of its release.. and it all came from the collaboration of the talents of Led Zeppelin.

I expect this will get a deserved dismissal when they see the can't badger Zep to fork over some money to make this nuisance suit go away.
 

TenPenny

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Jun 9, 2004
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Knowing that Zep was at some of the same festivals, it's hard to believe that they didn't hear the song, and, consciously or not, were inspired by that.
 

Danbones

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Sep 23, 2015
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Won't be the first time Zep has been nailed, but then like Willy Dixon's " You need love"/"Whole lotta love", they made it famous, and the aledged original writer's estate could prolly use the dough, while Zep won't miss it at all.
"Seven Songs Led Zepplin ripped off"
7 Songs That Led Zeppelin Ripped Off : Exclusives : Music Times
Zep always did "drove it like they stole it"

BTW Copyright infringement law contains the phrase
"or to make derivative works"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright_infringement

and ( update from a couple years ago)
"Led Zeppelin loses first round in "Stairway to Heaven" plagiarism lawsuit"
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/led-zeppelin-loses-first-round-in-stairway-to-heaven-plagiarism-lawsuit/
 
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Curious Cdn

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 22, 2015
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Wow. Forty five years later ... Tabernac! You copied me!. Surely, there is a statute of limitations on stupid.

Utter bullshyte. You can't copyright arpeggios, even if they were both played on twelve string guitars.

Cash. Grab.
 

Danbones

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Sep 23, 2015
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They just might count the descending base line as the substantial melody line in the section of the song and the deciding definition is:
" substantially similar "
Music Copyright Infringement Resource - Sponsored By USC Gould School of Law

(I have been a pro live sound tech and have a full length movie sound track ( compositions and preformance) under my belt.)
It was a salvage job done after the credits were done, but it got the movie sold, so I do have some experience in judging what music is, and what it is about.
http://wipfilms.net/softcore-erotic-flicks/fireballs/
fireballs (1989)
I warn you it's a Canadian b movie, with a very low budget, but if you check the fire truck training/driving scene for one of my full original tunes you will get me.
 
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Curious Cdn

Hall of Fame Member
Feb 22, 2015
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They just might count the descending base line as the substantial melody line in the section of the song and the deciding definition is:
" substantially similar "
Music Copyright Infringement Resource - Sponsored By USC Gould School of Law

They will settle the cash grab before it goes anywhere near a court, I expect. It's pretty much impossible to put ten notes together without someone before you having already sequenced seven or eight of them. I perform Baroque music, actively, and it's a damned good thing that there were no copyright laws back in the early eighteenth century because they ripped each other off with abandon ... everyone except JS Bach, that is because he invented everything.
 

Danbones

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Sep 23, 2015
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You just might be right about that, and the free publicity might also sell a few copies of both zep and Spirit too

eta
thats a cool cheezy movie sight to BTW
 
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Curious Cdn

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Feb 22, 2015
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You just might be right about that, and the free publicity might also sell a few copies of both zep and Spirit too

Zep didn't have to do stunts to get me to buy their material. All that they have to do is clone John Bonham and go back on stage, again.
 

Danbones

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Sep 23, 2015
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Zep didn't have to do stunts to get me to buy their material. All that they have to do is clone John Bonham and go back on stage, again.
Zep doesn't need much help to sell music, but LOL, Spirit and Randy California kind of might.
( There is ALWAYS some Zep on my Mp3 player, and Local boy made good Dan MacMaster (*RIP ), (Jason) Bonham's some time lead vocalist was a personal friend.)