No Stairway
No Stairway - Denied!

Led Zeppelin ruled innocent in "Stairway to Heaven" case

You might have been following the ongoing legal situation unfolding around Led Zeppelin, with Jimmy Page and Robert Plant having to testify to the effect that they didn’t steal the iconic opening riff of “Stairway to Heaven.” Well, the jury in New York agrees, finding Led Zeppelin innocent of copyright infringement.

The song that they may or may not have stolen from is “Taurus” by LA psych rockers Spirit, released back in 1968. As The New York Times reported on the verdict:

Lawyers for Mr. Skidmore presented evidence showing that the bands crossed paths while touring early in their careers, as well as testimony from music experts saying that both songs shared a similar chord progression and, most distinctively, a descending bass line in a chromatic scale.

Mr. Plant and Mr. Page both testified that “Stairway to Heaven” had been composed independently, and that while both bands had played on the same bill a handful of times, they did not recall ever seeing Spirit perform and had no familiarity with “Taurus” until the lawsuit was brought.

“I didn’t remember it then, and I don’t remember it now,” Mr. Plant said.

You can listen to both songs below. There are definitely some similarities, but the law is the law, and the law says that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are innocent, in addition to being the total legends that we already know they are. Carry on Zeppelin fans.