Led Zeppelin 'Stairway To Heaven' plagiarism case goes to appeal
The Led Zeppelin 'Stairway To Heaven' plagiarism case might not be over after the estate of late Spirit guitarist Randy California launched an appeal.
Michael Skidmore, who brought the original case against the legendary British rockers, filed a notice of appeal to the federal court on Saturday (23rd July), reports Courthouse News.
The notice of appeal reads: "Please take notice that Plaintiff Michael Skidmore, Trustee for the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust, hereby appeals to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit from the final judgment entered on June 23, 2016, as well as any and all interlocutory rulings, decisions, and orders that gave rise to the judgment and are merged therein.”
The appeal was filed exactly a month to the day that a jury of four men and four women in Los Angeles dismissed the case against Led Zeppelin.
Randy Wolfe’s estate, represented by lawyer Francis Malofiy, were after one-third credit for the 1971 opus ‘Stairway To Heaven’ claiming the band lifted the opening guitar part from the Spirit track ‘Taurus’.
The jury agreed with the defence’s argument that the chord progression was "commonplace” and dated back centuries.
Led Zeppelin’s attorney Peter Anderson said that although the band toured with Spirit, there is “no evidence ‘Taurus’ was ever performed in the presence of these two gentlemen (Page and Plant).”
Immediately after the trial, Led Zeppelin released a statement saying: “We are grateful for the jury’s conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favour, putting to rest questions about the origins of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and confirming what we have known for 45 years. We appreciate our fans’ support, and look forward to putting this legal matter behind us.”
Over the weekend Jimmy Page posted a heartfelt thank you to fans for their enduring support, writing: "Throughout the lengthy journey to that verdict, and even more recently, I have received and been aware of the overwhelming wave of support, encouragement, and congratulations that has been deeply moving.
“I’d like to take this opportunity to personally thank all those who contributed such a positive energy to me.”