Led Zeppelin’s efforts to recoup nearly $800,000 were denied by a judge. It was to determine whether the band plagiarized the “Stairway To Heaven” chord progression. The trial ended in a not guilty verdict and wasn’t filed frivolously.
The suit was initially filed in 2014 by Mark Andes. He alleged that the “Stairway” intro lifted from Spirit’s song, “Taurus”.
“A Los Angeles federal jury in June found that guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant did not lift the introduction of “Stairway” from an obscure instrumental written by the late Randy Wolfe, founder of the band Spirit”.
“The trust for Wolfe, better known as Randy California, claimed Page and Plant were familiar with his work and stole a riff from the short tune “Taurus” that repeats throughout the first two minutes of their classic rock anthem”.
Led Zeppelin won the copyright war over “Stairway To Heaven”, but lost their battle to recoup nearly $800,000 in defense fees.
#Peace.Love.LedZeppelin
