The 9th U.S. Circuit Court has rejected a copyright lawsuit accusing Led Zeppelin of copying portions of “Stairway to Heaven,” according to reporter Bill Donahue of Law 360.
BREAKING: Ninth Circuit rejects #copyright lawsuit that accused Led Zeppelin of copying "Stairway to Heaven" from a little-known song. pic.twitter.com/xHBHEHPAJT
— Bill Donahue (@Bill__Donahue) March 9, 2020
On Monday in a 70-page opinion, the court upheld a jury verdict clearing Led Zeppelin of all wrongdoing, Donahue reported.
This is a COMPLEX, 70+ page opinion, but the bottom-line is that the court upheld a jury verdict clearing Led Zeppelin of all wrongdoing. pic.twitter.com/3yISno0DhR
— Bill Donahue (@Bill__Donahue) March 9, 2020
In September, members of an 11-judge panel challenged a plaintiff’s attorney who argued a new trial was justified and that jurors should be allowed to hear the recorded versions of the songs in the lawsuit that alleged 1971’s megahit "Stairway to Heaven” was stolen from 1968’s “Taurus” by Spirit.
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The estate of the late Randy Wolfe of Spirit sued and lost at a 2016 trial that included testimony from Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant, but a three-judge 9th Circuit panel ordered a new trial and Led Zeppelin appealed to the larger group of judges.
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