Dissappointing news for all those Led Zeppelin fans out there- it seems that the current plagiarism case against the band isn't going away anytime soon, despite their efforts to squash it.
Here's what happened- originally, the children of Randy California, the late guitar player for the rock band Spirit, had sued Led Zeppelin, arguing that their classic hit "Stairway to Heaven" was plagiarised from Spirit's own "Taurus." The children of California claim that Led Zeppelin heard "Taurus" while performing as an opener for Spirit, and copied it into their own hit afterward.
NME has a quote from the children of California and their legal team, about the case:
"What happened to Randy California and Spirit is wrong. Led Zeppelin needs to do the right thing and give credit where credit is due. Randy California deserves a writing credit for 'Stairway To Heaven' and to take his place as an author of rock's greatest song."
Recently, the members of Led Zeppelin attempted to challenge the lawsuit, according to NME. Because the members of Led Zeppelin are all English and the lawsuit is being handled by courts in Pennsylvania, Led Zeppelin's lawyers claim that there's no reason to haul the band out of England to an area that has nothing to do with the lawsuit.
Express has a quote from Helene Freeman, a part of Led Zeppelin's legal team:
"The individual defendants are British citizens residing in England, own no property in Pennsylvania and have no contacts with Pennsylvania, let alone ties sufficient to render them essentially at home here."
Led Zeppelin still has the opportunity to appeal the decision, but apparently their first complaint was struck down almost instantly, so it's not clear how far another appeal will get them.
For what it's worth, an earlier NME report claims that the lawyer handling the California family's side of the case has been involved in shady plagiarism lawsuits before, along with a similar suit against Usher that was ultimately thrown away.
And Jimmy Page himself had this to say on the matter: "That's ridiculous. I have no further comment on the subject."
Check back soon for the latest news on Led Zeppelin and their lawsuit woes.
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