With support from the University of Richmond

History News Network

History News Network puts current events into historical perspective. Subscribe to our newsletter for new perspectives on the ways history continues to resonate in the present. Explore our archive of thousands of original op-eds and curated stories from around the web. Join us to learn more about the past, now.

Led Zeppelin Victorious in 'Stairway to Heaven' Plagiarism Case

British rock band Led Zeppelin on Monday effectively won a long-running legal battle over claims it stole the opening guitar riff from its signature 1971 song "Stairway to Heaven."

The band, one of the best-selling rock acts of all time, was handed victory after the US Supreme Court declined to take up the case, meaning that a March 2020 decision by a US appeals court in Led Zeppelin's favor will stand.

Lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page had been accused in the six-year long case of lifting the riff -- one of the best-known openings in rock music -- from a song called "Taurus," written by the late Randy Wolfe of the US band Spirit.

Wolfe, who performed as Randy California, drowned in 1997, and the case was brought by a trustee for his estate. It has been one of the music industry's most closely watched copyright cases, potentially exposing Plant and Page to millions of dollars in damages.

Read entire article at CNN