# Copyright row over Led Zeppelin classic Stairway to Heaven



## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

*A legal dispute faces the band Led Zeppelin over the song Stairway to Heaven, widely seen as one of the greatest rock compositions of all time.*
The copyright infringement action is being taken on behalf of late guitarist Randy California, who played on the same bill as Led Zeppelin in the 1960s.
His lawyers say that he should be given a writing credit on the 1971 track.
Bloomberg Businessweek said that the eight-minute song had earned $562m (£334m) as of 2008.
The magazine says that the song was so profitable in part because Led Zeppelin did not release it as a single, leaving fans with no option but to buy the entire album, which is untitled but known as Led Zeppelin IV.


Media reports say that the court case is likely to be based on allegations that the famous Stairway to Heaven opening guitar riff loosely resembles guitar work on an instrumental called Taurus.
Taurus was written by Randy California's Los Angeles-based psychedelic band, Spirit, in 1968.
The plaintiffs include Spirit's founding bassist Mark Andes and a trust that manages royalties for Randy California, who died in 1997 trying to save his son from drowning.
'It is fairly blatant, and note for note," Mr Andes told Bloomberg Businessweek. "It would just be nice if the Led Zeppelin guys gave Randy a little nod. That would be lovely."



http://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-27497950


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

No surprise really. Pagey's plagiarism is well known. 

[video=youtube_share;P1g7qFaWaLk]http://youtu.be/P1g7qFaWaLk[/video]


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

It's like a couple of bars of a simple descending note pattern. Just because the acoustic guitar has a similar tone, the pattern sounds similar to Stairway. It's not like Hes So Fine/ My Sweet Lord which are pretty dang close in melody.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Steadfastly said:


> The magazine says that the song was so profitable in part because Led Zeppelin did not release it as a single, leaving fans with no option but to buy the entire album, which is untitled but known as Led Zeppelin IV.


I know a lot of people who bought the album for other songs on it--or several of them or all of them.

You can't place all of the album sales of the fourth album at the feet of Stairway.

That said, it would have been nice if they'd been more honest with the song writing credits--but they were copying what was done before them.
They weren't the first & weren't the last.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

zontar said:


> That said, it would have been nice if they'd been more honest with the song writing credits--but they were copying what was done before them. They weren't the first & weren't the last.


What Zontar says. I think I heard rumblings about Stairway several years ago now that I think of it.


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## djmarcelca (Aug 2, 2012)

Why wouldn't they have launched this lawsuit 20 years ago?


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

djmarcelca said:


> Why wouldn't they have launched this lawsuit 20 years ago?


That was my first thought too. 

Perhaps they've seen all the money it has made and decided to go for it. When a lot of money is on the table, a lot of eyes get bigger.


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## Guest (May 21, 2014)

djmarcelca said:


> Why wouldn't they have launched this lawsuit 20 years ago?


'a trust that manages royalties for Randy California'

Sounds like a 'Janie Hendrix' syndrome.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

The song in question...

[video=youtube;gFHLO_2_THg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFHLO_2_THg[/video]


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## Guest (May 21, 2014)

Similar yes. rip-off? Not to me. I hear influences of
Croce's 'time in a bottle' or Beatles 'Michelle'.
I'm sure there's plenty more songs with the same riff.


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

laristotle said:


> Similar yes. rip-off? Not to me. I hear influences of
> Croce's 'time in a bottle' or Beatles 'Michelle'.
> I'm sure there's plenty more songs with the same riff.


^^ Very well put.


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

agreed. if i was the judge, i'd give 'em the old willie wonka

[video=youtube_share;M5QGkOGZubQ]http://youtu.be/M5QGkOGZubQ[/video]


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## Krelf (Jul 3, 2012)

Led Zep stealing songs...impossible!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp0jZ4BGuDw


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

With the hundreds of thousands of songs produced, how many totally different riffs can there be?


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

Yeah, I always have to wonder when I write something - Did that just come to me on it's own or did I hear it in an elevator 30 years ago and subconsciously keep it stored away?

It used to be much easier keeping track of what had been released with a fairly finite number of artists but with all the different media and a gazillion song writers able to put out quality material for a huge audience at low to no cost, I don't know how anyone can write anything truly unique any more. Kudos to those that do.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

bluzfish said:


> Yeah, I always have to wonder when I write something - Did that just come to me on it's own or did I hear it in an elevator 30 years ago and subconsciously keep it stored away?
> 
> It used to be much easier keeping track of what had been released with a fairly finite number of artists but with all the different media and *a gazillion* song writers able to put out quality material for a huge audience at low to no cost, I don't know how anyone can write anything truly unique any more. Kudos to those that do.


I've often wondered........how many is a _gazillion?_:smile-new:


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## Stonehead (Nov 12, 2013)

Whether or not people believe they ripped of riffs or not it does not take away from the fact they were a phenomenal band....period.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

Steadfastly said:


> I've often wondered........how many is a _gazillion?_:smile-new:


I'm not sure, but I think its a LOT!!! More than a bazillion, anyway...


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## KidMeatball (Dec 3, 2011)

It's not the first time they've been accused of plagiarism. Some consider zeppelin I to be largely ripped off without credit. 


Tapatalking


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## cheezyridr (Jun 8, 2009)

everyone (i would guess) on this forum knows led zep totally used a whole lotta uncredited, and a couple times, straight up ripped off music. it's common knowledge. 
however, just because they did those things those times, doesn't mean they did it THAT time. if i'm trying t write a song, and i say to myself "i really dig this little 20 second part of hendrix's version of catfish blues" and then i approximate the riff and turn that little piece into an entire song, it's my song. otherwise jimi's sister would turn frank marino into her indentured servant.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

______________


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## Option1 (May 26, 2012)

djmarcelca said:


> Why wouldn't they have launched this lawsuit 20 years ago?


Or even more realistically, 40 years ago when the song was really huge. Not as if Randy California (what a name!) wouldn't have heard it then.

Neil


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Steadfastly said:


> With the hundreds of thousands of songs produced, how many totally different riffs can there be?


That's my excuse too for not being able to write something good 

"Meh....its all been done before. The last new song ever to be written is just around the corner, then we'll all turn off our radios and do something better with our time"


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