The British cult rock band Led Zeppelin (since 1968) has not stolen their mega hit "Stairway to Heaven". A US Court of Appeals has now confirmed this in San Francisco. No evidence was found that the song from 1971 violated a copyright, as reported by the "Guardian".
The court re-enforced a 2016 ruling that band members Jimmy Page (76), Robert Plant (71) and John Paul Jones (74) did not plagiarize the song. The group was accused of using the song "Taurus" that Randy Wolfe, who died in 1997, wrote for the band Spirit.
A loss for authors
The musician's estate administrator had sought the original plagiarism procedure. His lawyer, Francis Malofiy, could now appeal to the United States Supreme Court. "This is a great loss for creators, those who are supposed to protect copyright," Malofiy is quoted as saying.
The lawsuit centered around the initial guitar sequence in "Stairway to Heaven", which is said to have been copied. Page had already declared in 2016 that the chord progression had been used in music "for ages". It is believed that Led Zeppelin's mega hit has grossed the equivalent of more than 440 million euros since its release.