Watch FIFA World Cup 2026™

LIVE, FREE and EXCLUSIVE starting June 12 2026

Jury out in Led Zeppelin copyright case

The jury considering whether Led Zeppelin stole the famous opening riff from its hit Stairway to Heaven has retired.

A jury has retired to consider its verdict in the trial of Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page and Robert Plant over claims they copied the opening guitar riff in Stairway To Heaven.

The veteran rock stars have appeared at a US federal court in Los Angeles accused of "lifting" the introduction to the 1971 song from an instrumental track called Taurus by the American band Spirit.

A lawsuit has been filed by Michael Skidmore, the trustee of Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe - known as Randy California - who drowned in 1997 having never taken legal action over the song.

In his closing speech, Skidmore's lawyer, Francis Malofiy, said Led Zeppelin had tried to rewrite the history of Stairway To Heaven during the week-long trial.

"This case has always been about credit," he said.

News that makes sense

Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

"We are asking for a third credit. It doesn't displace Mr Plant. It doesn't displace Mr Page.

"Stairway To Heaven's introduction was lifted from a piece called Taurus."

Mr Malofiy said Page told the court he had not watched Spirit live, but this contradicted previous interviews he had given, including a 1970 article in which he said he "enjoyed seeing them".

"If you can't believe what someone is saying about one issue, you can't believe what they are saying about any issue," he said.

"In this case, there has been a changing of the facts - a complete rewrite of the history of how the song was written."

In his closing speech, Led Zeppelin's lawyer Peter Anderson said the similarity between Taurus and Stairway to Heaven was a "descending chromatic chord progression" that has been used by musicians for hundreds of years and features in Michelle by the Beatles.


2 min read

Published

Source: AAP



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News straight to your inbox

Sign up now for daily news from Australia and around the world. You can also subscribe to Insight's weekly newsletter for in-depth features and first-person stories.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Follow SBS News

Download our apps

Listen to our podcasts

Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service

Stream now

Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world