LED ZEPPELIN Attorney Says SPIRIT Should Have Sued The Band In 1972, Not Now!

June 22, 2016, 7 years ago

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LED ZEPPELIN Attorney Says SPIRIT Should Have Sued The Band In 1972, Not Now!

According to the Associated Press, a jury began deliberating today (June 22nd) over whether Led Zeppelin ripped off a riff for its epic “Stairway To Heaven”.

A lawyer representing the estate of a deceased songwriter criticized members of Led Zeppelin for “selective” memories and “convenient” truths in testifying about the origin of Jimmy Page’s acoustic guitar opening of the 1971 rock anthem.

“He didn’t tell you where he got the idea for the introduction,” attorney Francis Malofiy said in his closing argument in federal court in Los Angeles. “It was a piece of music lifted from 'Taurus' by Randy California.”

The jury deliberated for several hours before leaving for the day without reaching a verdict. Deliberations are scheduled to resume Thursday morning.

The trustee for the estate for Randy Wolfe, who adopted the surname California, is seeking millions of dollars and a third of the songwriting credit for "Stairway To Heaven", which it claims the band took from "Taurus", released by Wolfe’s band Spirit in 1968.

Led Zeppelin’s lawyer, however, said the estate didn’t own the copyright and the passage in question was a common descending chord sequence in the public domain that dates back 300 years.

Attorney Peter Anderson also said the plaintiff failed to prove a case that should have been brought more than 40 years ago when Wolfe was alive and Page and singer Robert Plant would have had better memories.

“How can you wait a half century and criticize people … 45 years later for the delay you caused?” Anderson said. “They should have sued in 1972.”

Read more at the Associated Press.



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