{"id":28120,"date":"2016-06-16T13:21:07","date_gmt":"2016-06-16T17:21:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sidebarforplaintiffs.naomifein.net\/?p=28120"},"modified":"2016-06-23T17:44:26","modified_gmt":"2016-06-23T21:44:26","slug":"led-zeps-stairway-to-heaven-lawsuit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sidebarforplaintiffs.naomifein.net\/?p=28120","title":{"rendered":"Led Zep’s “Stairway to Heaven” lawsuit"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
From the New York Times’s Monday (June 13, 2016) Briefing:<\/p>\n

Back Story<\/em><\/h4>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

It seems everyone has heard \u201cChim Chim Cher-ee<\/a>,\u201d the happy chimney sweep\u2019s anthem from the 1964 film \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
That familiarity could play a role in a copyright case involving Led Zeppelin. Two of the band\u2019s founders, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, are expected to appear in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday to defend themselves against a lawsuit<\/a> claiming that parts of their 1971 classic \u201cStairway to Heaven<\/a>\u201d were copied.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
They are accused of stealing the opening sequence from another group\u2019s 1968 instrumental piece, \u201cTaurus<\/a>.\u201d (Judge for yourself while listening to both<\/a>.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
But in a court filing, Led Zeppelin\u2019s lawyers say that the British band had become familiar with the musical structure from the melody of \u201cChim Chim Cher-ee\u201d<\/a> and that, in any case, the \u201cdescending chromatic scale of pitches<\/a>\u201d is too common to enjoy legal protection.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Their decision not to settle puts a potential $40 million judgment in the hands of jurors, who will have to determine how similar the opening sequences are, and whether the song element was stolen.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
A federal jury found last year that Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams<\/a> had copied elements of a Marvin Gaye song in the 2013 hit \u201cBlurred Lines.\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
The decision in this case could further blur the lines of what\u2019s fair under our copyright law<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

UPDATE 6\/23\/2016: <\/strong>Led Zep wins:<\/p>\n

A Los Angeles jury found that Led Zeppelin didn\u2019t steal \u201cStairway to Heaven\u201d \u2014 but the courtroom never got to hear the so-called \u201coriginal.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Source: HEAR IT: ‘Stairway to Heaven’ vs. ‘Taurus’ – NY Daily News<\/a><\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From the New York Times’s Monday (June 13, 2016) Briefing: Back Story It seems everyone has heard \u201cChim Chim Cher-ee,\u201d the happy chimney sweep\u2019s anthem from the 1964 film \u201cMary Poppins.\u201d That familiarity could play a role in a copyright … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[337],"tags":[564,897,898,603,1065,1064],"class_list":["post-28120","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-legal-news","tag-copyright-infringement","tag-copyright-law","tag-copyright-lawsuits","tag-intellectual-property-lawsuits","tag-music-copyrights","tag-plagiarism"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t