Led Zeppelin have won a long-running copyright dispute over the opening riff in ‘Stairway To Heaven’.
The iconic rock band were accused in 2014 of stealing the song’s opening riff off a song called ‘Taurus’ by a band called ‘Spirit’ – but a US appeals court has now ruled that was not the case.
The 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco has upheld a 2016 trial verdict, which concluded that the band did not steal the riff.
The court ruling represents a significant triumph for Led Zeppelin stars Robert Plant and Jimmy Page – who wrote the song – as they would have been required to pay millions of dollars in damages if they’d lost in the courts.
The case was re-opened in 2018, when the US Circuit Court of Appeals determined that the trial judge had made a series of errors in the original trial, which led to a new hearing being ordered.
Last year, meanwhile, Jimmy Page confirmed talks had been staged about a Led Zeppelin movie.
The 76-year-old guitarist revealed there are "always" discussions regarding a potential big screen project focused on the ‘Whole Lotta Love’ rockers.
Speaking in September, he shared: "It’s been discussed. There are always people trying to make money out of Led Zeppelin. In Siberia and LA, there’s probably a meeting going on right now."
However, the music icon insisted he isn’t all that enthusiastic about the potential feature film, saying the band’s music tells fans everything they need to know about their story.
He added: "What would I want to do a film for? Listen to the albums – it’s all on there."
Led Zeppelin win copyright dispute over Stairway To Heaven
