Stairway to Heaven, released in 1971, is viewed as one of the greatest rock compositions of all time.

Stairway to Heaven, released in 1971, is viewed as one of the greatest rock compositions of all time.

By Lauren Biszewski, Esq.

Forty-five years after their signature Stairway to Heaven was released, Led Zeppelin’s lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page will sit before a jury trial next month to determine whether they lifted the song’s opening chords.

US district judge for the Ninth Circuit R. Gary Klausner stated last week that Stairway to Heaven and the 1967 song Taurus by the band Spirit bear enough similarities- particularly in the first two minutes of the track- to allow a jury to find copyright infringement.

The lawsuit was brought by Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the late Randy Wolfe, also known as Randy California, who was Spirit’s guitarist and the composer of Taurus.

According to a report in The Guardian, “Skidmore said Page may have been inspired to write Stairway to Heaven for Led Zeppelin after hearing Spirit perform Taurus while the bands toured together in 1968 and 1969, but that Wolfe never got credit.”

In turn, Plant and Page said Wolfe was a songwriter-for-hire who had no copyright claim.  Further, they argue the he chord progressions were so conventional that they did not merit copyright protection.

However, Judge Klausner disagreed.  “While it is true that a descending chromatic four-chord progression is a common convention that abounds in the music industry, the similarities here transcend this core structure,” Klausner wrote. “What remains is a subjective assessment of the ‘concept and feel’ of two works … a task no more suitable for a judge than for a jury.”

He also said the trustee could get only 50% of any damages awarded, citing a 1967 contract that Wolfe signed.

Trial is scheduled for May 10.