Those notes, which evoke centuries-old Renaissance folk music, sound similar to the opening guitar chords of “Stairway”, which was released in 1971, three years after “Taurus”. Originally sued along with Page and Plant, he was later dismissed as a defendant. That is a tricky task because the copyright is based on the sheet music filed with the Library of Congress.
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Shortly before making that decision, the jury returned to the courtroom and asked U.S. District Court Judge R. Gary Klausner to hear recordings of both songs played on an acoustic guitar again. Warner Music, who was also included in the suit, said “At Warner Music Group, supporting our artists and protecting their creative freedom is paramount”.
Among them was musicologist Lawrence Ferrara, who insisted the only similarity between “Taurus” and “Stairway” is a “descending chromatic minor line progression”, which has been used in many pop songs.
Led Zeppelin’s lawyer said the trust 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.
In a statement following the verdict Led Zeppelin said they were pleased with the results.
As soon as the Supreme Court ruled that copyright infringement cases were allowed to go forward despite long delays, the case was filed, and lawyers for Mr. Skidmore presented evidence showing that both bands had crossed paths during early tours.
He reiterated the assertions made by his bandmates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones that the song had begun at the country estate Headley Grange and not the Welsh cottage Bron-Yr-Aur, contradicting decades of Led Zeppelin mythology. The Times of India reports that the fast-food chain has introduced “Watt a Box”, a gimmick in its 5-in-1 Meal Box that lets people charge their smartphones while they have their meals. But later in the trial, an accountant called by Led Zeppelin’s side put the amounts at $615,000 for Page and $532,000 for Plant. Starting Tuesday, June 14, 2016, a Los Angeles court will try to decide whether the members of Led Zeppelin themselves ripped off that riff.
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Malofiy and Led Zeppelin attorney Peter Anderson apparently created a fairly contentious back-and-forth as the trial wore on, with Malofiy mocking the surviving Zeppelin members during their remarks and Anderson referring to the son Wolfe drowned to save as “illegitimate”.
