Led Zeppelin have been cleared of copyright infringement over claims the guitar intro to Stairway to Heaven was copied from Spirit's 1968 instrumental Taurus, following a week-long trial.
The case was brought by Michael Skidmore, trustee of the estate of Randy Craig Wolfe, aka Randy California, the late guitarist of rock band Spirit, represented by Francis Alexander Malofiy, from Media in Pennsylvania. Skidmore, a former music journalist, has been representing Wolfe's estate since 2006.
The jury returned its verdict in Los Angeles today (Thursday, June 23) after being sent out for deliberations yesterday. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant testified, along with a member of Spirit, musicologists and other witnesses and experts
Wolfe never sued during his lifetime, but Skidmore asserted an ownership interest in copyrighted sheet music and pushed the case to trial, reports Billboard.
