First Round of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Lawsuit Goes Against Led Zeppelin

The first round of a lawsuit claiming 'Stairway to Heaven' was lifted from another song has gone against Led Zeppelin. More here.

A judge denied Led Zeppelin's pre-trial motion to dismiss on the question of jurisdiction. The band had challenged whether the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania had the right to rule on the case. They argued since they are British citizens residing in Englad with no property in Pennsylvania the case should be dismissed. However, the judge sided with the plaintiff - a band called Spirit - saying Led Zeppelin "makes millions of dollars from the Eastern District of Pennsylvania" for everything from CD sales to radio and television play to concert performances.

This year the children of Spirit guitarist Randy California filed the lawsuit for copyright infringement on the grounds that the opening riff from 'Stairway to Heaven' was from a Spirit song called 'Taurus.' Led Zeppelin had opened for Spirit in 1968, the same year 'Taurus' was released. The lawsuit is seeking monetary damages and a co-writing credit.

Do you think this will make it to trial?