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Led Zeppelin Wins ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Plagiarism Trial

Led Zeppelin Performing
Led Zeppelin. Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

It looks like the impact of the “Blurred Lines” decision may be blurrier than we thought: THR reports that a federal jury has decided that Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” does not borrow too much from “Taurus,” a song from Zep contemporaries Spirit. Though the two bands once performed at the same festival, the jury was not convinced that songwriter Jimmy Page had ever heard “Taurus” before composing the “Stairway” intro, which shares a similar descending chord progression. Beginning guitarists everywhere have breathed a sigh of relief.

Led Zeppelin Wins ‘Stairway to Heaven’ Trial