Led Zeppelin must go back on trial in a lawsuit that accuses the classic rock grandees of stealing the opening chords of “Stairway to Heaven” from an obscure 1968 instrumental. A comparison of the 1971 Led Zeppelin song Stairway to Heaven and the 1968 song Taurus by Spirit. “Led Zeppelin obviously copied Taurus by Randy California, a musician they knew well in the 1960s — as well as several other songs from other musical pioneers,” Francis Malofiy said in an email. “We do not dispute that Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands in history, but their plagiarism indelibly stains their legacy.” Warner Music Group, the publisher of Led Zeppelin’s music, declined to comment on the ruling. The ruling may also hurt the Led Zeppelin members’ argument that the allegedly copied music was so common as to be unprotected by copyright.

Source: thestar September 28, 2018 19:07 UTC