Michael Putland/Getty ImagesIn 2016, a jury ruled in favor of Led Zeppelin in a copyright-infringement lawsuit involving the band’s classic 1971 song “Stairway to Heaven,” but now the case appears to be headed back to court.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, a federal appeals court in Los Angeles ruled unanimously on Friday to overturn the decision, in part because the original trial judge’s instructions to the jury were “erroneous and prejudicial.”
The lawsuit claims that the opening of “Stairway to Heaven” was lifted from “Taurus,” a 1968 instrumental tune by the U.S. psychedelic band Spirit. The suit was initiated by a trustee for the estate of late Spirit frontman Randy Wolfe — a.k.a. Randy California — who wrote “Taurus.”
A three-judge panel at L.A.’s 9th Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that the original judge’s instructions to the jury regarding what is and isn’t a violation of copyright law were inaccurate.
In addition, the appeals court decided that the trial judge made a mistake by not allowing “Taurus” to be played for the jury during the proceedings. In the original trial, the jury was only allowed to compare the sheet music for both songs.
The panel’s decision noted that if the jury could have actually observed Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, who wrote the music to “Stairway to Heaven,” while the Spirit song was being played, they could have evaluated his reaction, which could have had an impact on their ruling.
During the trial, it was established that Page and “Stairway to Heaven” co-writer Robert Plant crossed paths with Spirit a number of times before the classic Led Zeppelin tune was written.
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