Zep reunion...Kinda.

[chasenblues]

"Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, two of Led Zeppelin’s founder members, arrived in court in Los Angeles on Tuesday to defend themselves against accusations that Stairway to Heaven, the band’s most famous song, was plagiarised.

The pair appeared at the opening of a trial in a federal court case prompted by allegations that the song was a copy of Taurus, composed by the late Randy Wolfe and recorded by his band Spirit."


Led Zeppelin plagiarism case: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in court as band goes on trial for 'Stairway to Heaven' in Los Angeles

 

[sk8rat]

buh dum tss! john paul jones is supposed to testify so who knows, maybe they will make them play stairway for the audience...er, jury.

 

[chasenblues]

buh dum tss! john paul jones is supposed to testify so who knows, maybe they will make them play stairway for the audience...er, jury.

George Harrison and John Fogerty brought guitars into court and played the songs in question for the judge or juries during their copy-write law suits cases..Fogerty won,Harrison lost.

 

[roeg]

Curious though...how much money we talking here...any guesses?

 

[six-string]

yes and in a delicious act of revenge George bought the rights to "He's So Fine" so eventually owned the song he was found guilty of plagarizing.
who cares?
Randy California didn't care or he would have sued.
now he's dead you've got some bounty hunters hoping to cash in.
lawyers are the jackals of society feasting on the bones of the rest.

 

[circles]

How could this even be decided? Lots of songs use that theme. I mean, even the opening to Gilligan's Island sounds a hell of a lot like it as well:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTCYLbFxTpI[/ame]

At least, legally, the question will be put to rest.

 

[six-string]

Curious though...how much money we talking here...any guesses?

statute of limitations is past on this one.
best they will do is 3 years of back royalties and any possible future royalties. and that is for a "partial" credit since Stairway has different words and music...just some similarities.

 

[sk8rat]

Curious though...how much money we talking here...any guesses?

they are asking $40 million but are "willing to settle" for $1, credit and royalties from now on.

 

[Kamen_Kaiju]

How could this even be decided? Lots of songs use that theme. I mean, even the opening to Gilligan's Island sounds a hell of a lot like it as well:

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

At least, legally, the question will be put to rest.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tovh6JjaQ1A[/ame]

Jimmy is right that a descending chromatic bassline is hardly unique.

 

[chasenblues]

Wrong issue quoted.

 

[hecube]

Wrong issue quoted.

You caught it in time.

You were going to get schooled!

 

[mtgguitar]

LZ reunion threads should be in the same category as religion and politics.

 

[hecube]

LZ reunion threads should be in the same category as religion and politics.

Well...

Either you're with us, or your're against us.

 

[Bill Hicklin]

LZ reunion threads should be in the same category as religion and politics.

I thought LZ was a religion.

 

[Bobby Mahogany]

Let's ask Stevie Wonder and be done with it.

 

[chasenblues]

statute of limitations is past on this one.
best they will do is 3 years of back royalties and any possible future royalties. and that is for a "partial" credit since Stairway has different words and music...just some similarities.

If it was past the statute of limitations i don't think it would have gotten this far in court.
The suit was filed in 2014,I think depending on certain timelines it can get extended.

I also think depending on how good the estates lawyers are and if they win/prove it,The settlement(If any) might involve a percentage how much $$ SWTH has made in total.

Just from a basic read of the Harrison case i read that,

He was ordered to pay a certain amount for for the copyright infringement on HSF alone. Then also had to pay(fined) a certain amount(Percentage) of $$ because of the amount of money it(MSL as a single release) generated and a percentage from album sales for MSL being on "All Things Must Pass" album..
(Hit song on the album generated more album sales= more $$)

Its explained a lot better here in the "Damages" section of this page.

http://abbeyrd.best.vwh.net/mysweet.htm

In today's figures..The dollar amounts mentioned in the damages section don't seem like all that much. But I'd bet SWTH has made a bucket load more than MSW.


I could be wrong..Just some uneducated guy trying to figure out legal speak.

Or it gets tossed and they get nothing.

 

[Bill Hicklin]

Page has a much stronger case than Harrison. The similarities between MSL and HSF are pretty manifest, whereas in this case the notes aren't the same, the chords aren't the same, and as often noted, descending chromatic bass lines and arpeggiated chords are about as common in music as I-IV-V progressions.

Of course, OTOH we know that JP settled with Richie Valens' family over what amounted to two songs similar only in that they were both commonplace 12-bar rockers.

And even before we get that far, the plaintiffs have to get around California's own statement before he died that he didn't care and that JP was free to do it as far as he was concerned.

 

[Ginger Beer]

I thought LZ was a religion.

"Join us"

 

[sk8rat]

hot off the press! (not really).

updates from a reporter in the courtroom.

Jimmy Page just carried a guitar into the courtroom! #StairwayToHeavenTrial

There have been more sustained objections than mentions of "Taurus" so far this morning. #StairwayToHeavenTrial

Also, there have been more references to Jimi Hendrix than "Stairway to Heaven" today. #STHTrial

 

[DADGAD]

hot off the press! (not really).

updates from a reporter in the courtroom

That picture looks like Perry Mason and George Washington.