Led Zeppelin Is Going To Court, Facing Claims They Stole The Intro To “Stairway To Heaven”

“Stairway to Heaven” is one of the most iconic – and lucrative – pieces of modern music ever concocted.

(The rights to the tune are so expensive, they couldn’t even afford a single bar of it in Wayne’s World.)

But a new trial will see if Led Zeppelin’s lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page stole the intro from an instrumental tune by the lesser-known band Spirit.

According to ABC News, a trustee for the late Randy Wolfe (aka Randy California, aka Spirit’s guitarist) brought suit against Plant and Page claiming that the Wolfe-composed Spirit tune “Taurus” was ripped off by the Zepp.

“Taurus” was released in 1967, while “Stairway” wasn’t made public until 1971. The video below compares the two versions… and, yeah, they sound pretty similar. (Led Zeppelin and Spirit toured together in 1968 and 1969, FYI.)

But here’s where it gets a little complicated. The defendants are arguing that Wolfe was a “songwriter-for-hire” with no copyright claim. They are also claiming that the chord progression is such a cliché, it doesn’t deserve copyright protection. (A bit of a self-destructive move, but there you go.)

However, District Judge Gary Klausner has ruled that a jury should decide whether or not they are liable for copyright infringement.

The trial is scheduled for May 10. Claims against the late Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and Warner Music Group Corp were dismissed, so it’s all on Plant and Page now.

Last year, Robin Thicke and Pharrell were ordered to pay $US7.3 million in damages to the family of Marvin Gaye when a jury found that “Blurred Lines” did indeed plagiarise Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up”.

Commence collar pulling.