Led Zeppelin lawyers ask judge to toss ‘Stairway’ case
In this Oct. 9, 2012 file photo, Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, left, and singer Robert Plant appear at a press conference ahead of the worldwide theatrical release of “Celebration Day,” a concert film of their 2007 London O2 arena reunion show, in New York. Generations of aspiring guitarists have tried to copy the riff from Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” Starting Tuesday, June 14, 2016, a Los Angeles court will try to decide whether the members of Led Zeppelin themselves ripped off that riff. Page and Plant are named as defendants in the lawsuit brought by the trustee of late guitarist Randy Wolfe from the band Spirit. AP FILE PHOTO
LOS ANGELES — Led Zeppelin’s lawyers have asked a judge to throw out a case accusing the band’s songwriters of ripping off a riff for “Stairway to Heaven.”
Attorney Peter Anderson said Monday the estate of Randy Wolfe failed to prove over four days of trial that the copyright to his 1968 song “Taurus” was violated.
Anderson says the estate for the late founder of the band Spirit hasn’t shown it owns the copyright to the song “Taurus” and hasn’t shown “Stairway” is substantially similar.
The attorney says the plaintiff also failed to show damages or present evidence of revenues from “Stairway.”
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The motion is expected to be argued when the trial resumes Tuesday in a Los Angeles federal courtroom.
Wolfe’s estate claims “Taurus” was used in the intro to “Stairway.”
READ: ‘Stairway to Heaven’ creator Page rebuffs lawyer at trial
