Court: Led Zeppelin not guilty
Robert Plant and Jimmy Page have been cleared of copyright infringement.
Click here for reuse options!A Los Angeles jury deliberated for about five hours before deciding the band did not steal its most famous licks from another band.
The case centered on claims that Led Zeppelin copied key note patterns in the first two minutes of their hit from a song by the 1960s psychedelic band, Spirit. That song, “Taurus,” is an instrumental ballad released four years prior to “Stairway to Heaven.” The suit was filed for partial song writing credit and compensation by the estate of a deceased Spirit musician, Randy Craig Wolfe.
The plaintiff failed to show that Plant and Page were familiar with “Taurus,” and that the works were substantially similar.
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10 responses to Court: Led Zeppelin not guilty
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Hirightnow June 23rd, 2016 at 15:20
I dunno…sounds like Led Zepplin was probably “inspired” by the song more than they want to admit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFHLO_2_THg
(Not posting “Stairway”…if you don’t know it by now, why are you reading the article?)
bpollen June 23rd, 2016 at 15:55
I can’t tell you the number of songs I hear similar song licks on. It didn’t help their case to wait 40+ yrs to sue, either.
But Vanilla Ice (excuse me while I cleanse my palate… I’ m back) clearly stole the baseline from Bowie/Queen.
17 June 24th, 2016 at 13:27
I can see how they’d get away with it, even if the jury’d been able to compare them.
Hirightnow June 24th, 2016 at 14:27
The jury wasn’t allowed to hear the actual song, just to see the sheet music.
17 June 24th, 2016 at 14:48
I know that, but even if they had been able to hear them to compare, the difference seems far enough apart (just barely, but enough) to decide as they did.
Hirightnow June 24th, 2016 at 16:45
“just barely”…
Therein lies creative difference
robert June 23rd, 2016 at 22:33
I just read that Zeppelin turned down about 16 million to perform with 4 other groups on the west coast. something tells me they could care less about the verdict
crc3 June 23rd, 2016 at 23:41
Good for Plant, Page, and Jones with Bonham applauding from rock and roll heaven! Led Zeppelin rules!
Kick Frenzy June 24th, 2016 at 12:49
As much as I like Led Zeppelin, I think the jury got this wrong.
Granted, from what the prosecution said, the jury wasn’t allowed to actually listen to the music and had to rely on testimony and transcription instead.
Besides that, it’s disturbing that Page/Plant would be dismissive of a band they once opened for.
They weren’t foreign to their music or their existence.
It might have been a popular refrain at the time, but the similarity is stark in it’s similarity.
I have a hard time believing Led Zeppelin had no idea about Taurus when Page owned an album of there’s, not to mention having had opened for them on their first American tour.
oldfart June 24th, 2016 at 14:45
They dodged the bullet because a lot of water has passed under the bridge.
It is a lot like Spirit’s song but only in pieces of it…damn near note for note in those pieces.