Led Zeppelin and the “Stairway to Heaven” Copyright Trial

Few songs are as iconic as Stairway to Heaven. Released in 1971, it became Led Zeppelin’s signature track, celebrated for its haunting introduction, intricate guitar work, and soaring vocals. Yet more than forty years after its release, the song found itself at the centre of one of the most closely watched copyright trials in music history.

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The allegation was simple but explosive: that Led Zeppelin had copied the opening guitar passage from a song called Taurus, recorded by the American band Spirit in 1968. The ensuing courtroom battle raised fundamental questions about creativity, influence, and the limits of copyright protection in music.

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The Background: Two Songs, One Lick

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In the late 1960s, both Led Zeppelin and Spirit were active on the touring circuit. Spirit’s instrumental track Taurus, written by guitarist Randy California, featured an arpeggiated descending guitar line in A minor. The similarity between this passage and the famous opening of Stairway to Heaven was striking to some ears.

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Adding intrigue was the fact that Led Zeppelin had performed on the same bill as Spirit early in their careers. Although no evidence showed that Led Zeppelin ever played Taurus themselves, critics argued that Jimmy Page, Zeppelin’s guitarist, could have heard it and drawn inspiration from it.

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For decades, the resemblance went largely unchallenged. But in 2014, Michael Skidmore, a trustee of Randy California’s estate, filed a lawsuit claiming that Stairway to Heaven infringed the copyright in Taurus.

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The Dispute: Inspiration or Infringement?

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The central legal question was whether the similarities between Taurus and Stairway to Heaven were substantial enough to amount to infringement. Musicologists dissected the compositions, pointing out that both used a descending chromatic scale over an A minor chord.

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Led Zeppelin’s defence was that the passage was a common musical figure, a building block used in countless songs long before Taurus. They argued that copyright cannot protect generic elements of music, only the original expression of those elements.

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Jimmy Page testified that he owned Spirit’s album but denied consciously copying Taurus. Robert Plant, Zeppelin’s singer, insisted he had no memory of hearing the song before writing Stairway to Heaven.

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The Courtroom Battle

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The case went to trial in Los Angeles in 2016. It became a spectacle, with journalists and fans watching closely as one of rock’s most famous songs was scrutinised note by note. Expert witnesses debated the musical similarities, while lawyers sparred over whether the works were truly comparable.

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One crucial limitation was that the jury could not hear recordings of Taurus. Under US law at the time, copyright protection extended only to the sheet music deposited with the Copyright Office. This meant that the jury was restricted to comparing the written compositions, not the sound recordings. Since the sheet music for Taurus lacked some of the nuances heard in the recording, the case for similarity was weakened.

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In June 2016, the jury found in favour of Led Zeppelin, ruling that Stairway to Heaven did not infringe Taurus. The verdict was hailed as a major victory for the band and for the principle that common musical elements cannot be monopolised.

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Appeals and Final Resolution

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The story did not end there. In 2018, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the verdict, citing errors in jury instructions. A retrial was ordered, keeping the case alive and reigniting debate.

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However, in 2020, the Ninth Circuit reheard the case en banc (with a larger panel of judges) and affirmed the original verdict in Led Zeppelin’s favour. The court held that the two works were not substantially similar and reinforced the idea that copyright does not protect basic musical building blocks. The US Supreme Court declined to hear a further appeal, finally closing the case.

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The Impact on the Industry

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The Stairway to Heaven trial was one of the most significant copyright cases of the modern era. It clarified the line between inspiration and infringement, reaffirming that common musical figures cannot be owned. This was a relief to many musicians who feared that creativity could be stifled if courts took too broad a view of similarity.

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The case also illustrated the challenges of applying copyright law to music. Jurors were asked to decide on technical questions of composition and originality, often with limited tools. The restriction to sheet music rather than recordings showed how outdated legal frameworks can fail to capture the reality of musicmaking.

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For artists, the case underscored the importance of both originality and documentation. While musical borrowing and influence are inevitable, clear evidence of independent creation remains the best defence against infringement claims.

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Lessons for Musicians Today

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The Led Zeppelin case provides important lessons:

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• Common elements are not protectable. Descending scales, chord progressions, and other basic figures are considered building blocks, not original works.

• Documentation matters. Being able to show how and when a song was written can be crucial in defending against infringement claims.

• Litigation is uncertain. Even iconic artists can face years of costly legal battles over alleged similarities.

• The law evolves. The case highlighted how copyright rules sometimes lag behind modern music practice.