Jury to decide if Led Zeppelin stole the intro to ‘Stairway to Heaven’

By Kevin Daley, DCNF

Proceedings began Tuesday in a federal civil trial implicating two members of the iconic U.S. rock band Led Zeppelin in the theft of copyrighted material.

Singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page stand accused of stealing the opening chords of the band’s best known single, “Stairway to Heaven,” from a song called “Taurus” by Spirit, a 70s rock band. The case was brought by trustees of the estate of Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe. The trustees allege Plant and Page stole chord progressions after hearing “Taurus” performed while the two bands toured together in 1967 and 1968. Wolfe’s estate is seeking monetary damages and a writing credit.

Copyright infringement claims are subject to a three year statute of limitations. The case was allowed to proceed because “Stairway to Heaven,” though first released in 1971, was released in remastered form in 2014.

Plant and Page previously sought to have the case thrown out on a jurisdictional issue, arguing they were British subjects who could not be sued in an American court. U.S. District Court Judge Robert G. Klauser, who will preside over the case, ruled against them.

The trial began Tuesday with a handful of pretrial motions, the seating of the jury and opening arguments.

The same court adjudicating this case heard a similar claim from Marvin Gaye against Robin Thicke’s controversial anthem “Blurred Lines.” The court awarded Gaye’s family $7 million for copyright infringement.

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