In a joint statement following a jury ruling that Led Zeppelin didn’t plagiarized their epic 1971 song “Stairway to Heaven”, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page thanked the band’s loyal following.
“We are grateful for the jury’s conscientious service and pleased that it has ruled in our favour, putting to rest questions about the origins of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ and confirming what we have known for 45 years. We appreciate our fans’ support and look forward to putting this legal matter behind us.”
Led Zeppelin’s record company, Warner Music Group, also weighed in on the verdict, saying “supporting our artists and protecting their creative freedom is paramount. We are pleased that the jury found in favour of Led Zeppelin, re-affirming the true origins of ‘Stairway to Heaven’. Led Zeppelin is one of the greatest bands in history, and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant are peerless songwriters who created many of rock’s most influential and enduring songs.”
The plaintiffs were the estate of the late Randy “California” Wolfe of the band Spirit who accused Page and Plant of lifting the introduction for “Stairway To Heaven” from their 1968 song “Taurus”. Page claimed to have not heard the song until just two years ago when his son-in-law told him that people were comparing the two songs online. And Plant claimed he had “no memory” of watching Spirit at a 1970 concert in Birmingham, England, as he was a victim of a car crash that same evening.