After two months of trial, Led Zeppelin can confidently lay claim to one of their classics.
Back in April, Led Zeppelin founders Robert Plant and Jimmy Page were finally ruled to appear in court over a longstanding plagiarism accusation from a band called Spirit. Claiming ‘Stairway to Heaven’ infringes of the copyrights of their instrumental song ‘Taurus’, Spirit took Zeppelin to court in Los Angeles where a jury ruled today in favor of the classic rock icons.
The trial, itself, seemed to be more interesting than this psychedelic battle of the bands. As Rolling Stone reports, the plaintiff’s lawyer, attorney Francis Malofiy, carried a briefcase that resembled a Fender amp, attempted to play videos for the jury that had not been admitted as evidence in the trial and even made claims that Mary Poppins song ‘Chim Chim Cherree’ could have also been something Page gleaned influence from, so to speak.
The jury was not allowed to listen to either ‘Stairway’ or ‘Taurus’, they ruled in favor of Zeppelin after hearing a studio musician play both form sheet music in the courtroom.
“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,” Page and Plant said in a statement. “We appreciate our fans’ support and look forward to putting this legal matter behind us.”
In the end, Spirit have been denied claim over ‘Stairway’.