Arguing that the lawsuit brought by the estate of Spirit songwriter Randy California alleging that the introduction to the Led Zeppelin epic “Stairway To Heaven” was lifted from the Spirit song “Taurus” was “frivolous”, Led Zeppelin’s label was seeking to recoup some $800,000 in legal defense fees.
While they won the plagiarism trial, a California judge ruled that the lawsuit was not frivolous and that the plaintiff in the case had not “harboured nefarious motives”.
You can read the legalese HERE.