Led Zeppelin Face Retrial in "Stairway to Heaven" Costume – Rolling Stone

More than two years later, Led Zeppelin will appear in court for a new trial after accusing the group of plagiarizing "Stairway to Heaven". The 9th San Francisco Court of Appeal on Friday dismissed the verdict of the jury, according to NBC News. Some parts of the jury's instructions were wrong and prejudicial, the court added.

Michael Skidmore, director of the late guitarist Spirit, Randy Wolfe, recorded the costume as Randy California. Skidmore alleged that Zeppelin relied heavily on "Taurus", a 38-second instrumental instrument from 1968, for the "Stairway to Heaven" intro, which became a monumental success. The groups occurred together in 1968 and 1969; "Stairway" was released in 1971. The Court of Appeal stated that it was wrong for the judge in the original trial to prohibit the plaintiffs from playing "Taurus" on the jury; Similarly, they were not allowed to hear "Staircase".

Skidmore's lawyer, Francis Malofiy, lodged a complaint for the first time in 2014. During the trial, he alleged that Jimmy Page could have been influenced by Mary Poppins The song "Chim Chim Cheree" and accused Page and Robert Plant of "Selective Memory". Led Zeppelin's lawyer argued that the progression of the chromatic chords in question was widespread in the history of music, from the 1600s to the Beatles' "Michelle" and beyond. Page and Plant both said they did not remember hearing "Taurus". After only one day of deliberation, the jury ruled in favor of the group.

"We are grateful for the conscientious service of the jury and happy that it has ruled in our favor, putting aside questions about the origins of" Stairway to Heaven "and confirming what we know for 45 years," said Page and Plant in a statement. at the time. "We appreciate the support of our fans and look forward to putting this legal issue behind us."

If Skidmore had won, he would have been entitled to a share of "Stairway" for just three years before the filing of the complaint and the continuation of the action. Malofiy estimated that the suit was worth about $ 40 million. California drowned in 1997 while she was trying to rescue her son from a wreck in Hawaii.

Malofiy appealed in March 2017. Led Zeppelin then filed a cross-appeal.