Led Zeppelin earlier this week won a far reaching court battle over claims it stole the intro to it’s iconic and timeless 1971 rock anthem, Stairway to Heaven; when the U.S. Supreme Court declined (without comment) to take up the long-running copyright battle.
Members of the iconic band and the song’s credited writers; lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page had been accused in the six-year long case of ripping off the rock anthem from the 1968 song Taurus (written by the late Randy Wolfe, a guitarist in the band Spirit).
Previously in March a Los Angeles jury found the riff in question was not fundamentally similar to that of Stairway to Heaven.
Why It Matters...
The court verdict has finally given the music industry exactly what it has required for some years: a benchmark copyright test case.
Ever since the much publicized and debated “Blurred Lines” ruling and knock on effect/fiasco, clarity on copyright has suffered from…well – blurred lines.
The impact of the US Appeals Court’s decision was virtually immediate, as it was key in ending similar copyright cases such as was the case with Katy Perry’s song “Dark Horse.”
The effect of this ruling (although it removes ambiguity), could of course have potential significant implications for independent artists.
But most importantly, Stairway is no longer Denied.
