Jury: Led Zeppelin did not plagiarise

Led Zeppelin has won theirStairway To Heaventrial in Los Angeles.

The jury ruled yesterday that songwriting duo Robert Plant and Jimmy Page did not plagiarse the opening chords of the eight-minute iconic hit and that it does not bear resemblance to the 1968 Spirit instrumentalTaurus.

During the seven-day trial, Dr Alexander Stewart told the court that the chord progressions inTaurusandStairway“both skip the E before resolving on an A note in an unusual way”. However the panel of four men and four women said there was no proof that Plant and Page breached any copyright.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant released the following statement:

“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. We appreciate our fans’ support, and look forward to putting this legal matter behind us.”

Warner Music Group had this to say regarding the victory:

“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 case was brought by Michael Skidmore, the trustee and friend of late Spirit guitarist Randy California. Skidmore’s attorney Francis Malofiy criticised the court’s decision in only allowing the jury to only hear acoustic renditions of parts of the songs, not the original recordings.

“We have to respect the jury’s decision in light of the evidence shown. We proved access but the jury never heard what [Plant and Page] had access to,” he told reporters.