Led Zeppelin did not steal the intro for “Stairway to Heaven,” a jury in Los Angeles concluded Thursday morning.
The legendary rock band was accused of ripping off the song from the band Spirit, whose 1967 song “Taurus” sounded similar to the Zeppelin classic.
According to Reuters, the jury said “Stairway” writers Jimmy Page and Robert Plant — Led Zeppelin’s guitarist and singer credited with writing the 1971 hit — had access to the Spirit song, but that the riff was not similar enough to “Taurus” to justify the copyright infringement claim.
Taurus and Led Zeppelin played some concerts together, where Taurus contended Led Zeppelin musicians could’ve heard the song. But it was never made clear what shows they played together, other than one in Kansas City.
“We are grateful for the jury’s conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favor, putting to rest questions about the origins of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and confirming what we have known for 45 years,” said Plant and Page, in a statement. We appreciate our fans’ support, and look forward to putting this legal matter behind us.”
I bet they did. The plaintiffs wanted $40 million in damages, plus a piece of future royalties.
The band’s record company, which was also a defendant in the suit, also released a statement, saying “At Warner Music Group, supporting our artists and protecting their creative freedom is paramount. We are pleased that the jury found in favor of Led Zeppelin, re-affirming the true origins of ‘Stairway to Heaven’. Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands in history, and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are peerless songwriters who created many of rock’s most influential and enduring songs.”
The suit was brought by the estate of the late Randy Wolfe, who wrote “Taurus” and performed with Spirit under the name Randy California.
Tony Hicks writes celebrity commentary for the Bay Area News Group. Contact him at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks or Twitter.com/tonyhicks67
