Monthly Archives: April, 2016

April 19, 2016

Spirit v. Led Zeppelin, Taurus v. Stairway To Heaven

The copyright infringement lawsuit accusing Led Zeppelin of plagiarizing the song Taurus in the iconic Stairway to Heaven just got really interesting because the judge denied (in part, but in the most important part) defendants’ motion for summary judgment, and whether the songs are “substantially similar” seems like it may be a close call. If they end up with a jury like the one in the Marvin Gaye Estate lawsuit against Pharrell Williams, in which the jury ruled that Blurred Lines infringed Got to Give It Up, the case may go badly for the defendants. Here are links to some material that may help you decide for yourself.

Recordings of both songs – http://www.musicradar.com/news/guitars/led-zeppelin-to-face-jury-trial-over-stairway-to-heavens-substantial-similarity-to-spirits-taurus-636913

Guitar analysis by TJR – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCEg9gMJakU

Opinion denying (in part) motion for summary judgment – http://www.jurisnote.com/Case/zep346.pdf