Led Zeppelin has been declared the winner in the plagiarism case lodged against them by Michael Skidmore, a trustee of the former Spirit guitarist Randy California. The rock band was accused of copyright infringement over their 1971 hit song "Stairway to Heaven."
The case was filed in May 2014 and Skidmore alleged that Led Zeppelin used the chords of the 1968 Spirit track entitled "Taurus," as opening bars for "Stairway to Heaven." In the complaint, the trustee asked for writing credit and royalties be given to California whose real name was Randy Wolfe.
At the end of the trial, the eight-member jury at the Los Angeles district court ruled in favor of Led Zeppelin. The jury reiterated that the iconic band did not steal the opening chords of "Stairway to Heaven" from the Spirit band's "Taurus," BBC reported
The court handed down the verdict after a controversial six-day trial that brought Led Zeppelin's band members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to the witness stand. Bassist John Paul Jones also testified in court that Page never mentioned Spirit while they were composing their mega-hit track. He added that he himself never heard of the band until they were sued by Skidmore in 2014.
The decision of the jury was unanimous and this was mainly due to the fact that they found significant differences between "Stairway to Heaven" and Spirit's "Taurus." After the verdict, Plant and Page told CNBC, "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,"
The two members went on to say that they truly appreciate their fans' support and they now want to move forward and put all legal matters behind them. Warner Music Group also applauded the verdict and expressed support to their artists by stating that Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands of all-time. They added that Page and Plant are unrivaled composers who wrote lasting and influential rock songs.
Watch the legendary "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin:
