Led Zeppelin wins ‘Stairway to Heaven’ copyright fight

The U.S. Supreme Court declined on Monday to hear a case alleging that British rockers Led Zeppelin plagiarized the intro of “Stairway to Heaven,” potentially ending a 6-year legal battle.

The ruling upholds a March decision that favored the band and effectively ends the legal challenge, NPR reported.

According to BBC News, the legendary band was sued for copyright infringement in 2014 over claims they stole the rock anthem’s opening from the song “Taurus” by U.S. band Spirit.

The original suit was filed by Michael Skidmore, a trustee for Randy Craig Wolfe, the late Spirit guitarist and songwriter who went by the stage name Randy California. The instrumental “Taurus” was released in January 1968, more than three years before Led Zeppelin recorded “Stairway” for its fourth studio album, NPR reported.

Specifically, lawyers for Wolfe’s estate argued that Led Zeppelin became familiar with “Taurus” after the bands shared a bill at a Birmingham club in 1970, one year before “Stairway” was released, BBC News reported.

Read more here and here.

Cox Media Group