The English rock legends were accused of copying a song from the band Spirit.
Led Zeppelin did not steal the opening to 1971 hit “Stairway To Heaven” from a Spirit song. Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the late Spirit frontman Randy Craig Wolfe, had claimed that the beginning of the song was copied from Spirit’s 1968 track “Taurus.” The court decision is the result of a two-year long suit.
The defense successfully claimed that the chord progression is a popular one that had been used for hundreds of years.
"[It] put to rest questions about [its] origins... confirming what we have known for 45 years," said Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in a statement (via BBC).
We bet Ed Sheeran is hoping the decision will help his pending copyright infringement case.
Listen to the two songs in question below:
