Led Zeppelin have been embroiled in a long legal battle over copyright infringement, but after many years they can finally lay the accusations to rest. ’60s LA band Spirit claimed Led Zeppelin ripped their most popular song “Stairway To Heaven” off one of their own, the instrumental track “Taurus.” But now, nearly six years later, the Supreme Court has ruled in Zeppelin’s favor.
Spirit’s Randy Wolf penned “Taurus” in 1967, four years before Zeppelin recorded “Stairway To Heaven.” The two bands had played many shows together between that time, and Jimmy Page even admitted that Spirit’s song was in his record collection, but he disputed any accusation of plagiarism. Wolfe’s estate filed the original copyright lawsuit back in 2014, and it has since moved between courts. A jury sided with Zeppelin on the original case, but it was eventually overturned after a panel of appellate justices decided the jurors should have been able to hear Spirit’s song in court.
Back in March, the case moved on to the Ninth Circuit Court, which upheld the court’s original ruling in favor of Zeppelin. But it didn’t end there. The case eventually went to the Supreme Court, who, according to Bloomberg Law, recently refused to hear the case. Because of the Supreme Court’s dismissal, the Ninth Circuit Court’s ruling still stands, meaning Zeppelin officially won the case.
Hear Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” and Spirit’s “Taurus” above.
Led Zeppelin is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
