The latest battle has been over their classic song "Stairway to Heaven," and amazingly, court proceedings are now in their fifth year. On September 23rd, the battle continues — once again — in federal court.
That's when the full 'en banc' panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the copyright infringement lawsuit that the descendants of Randy Wolfe initially filed against Led Zeppelin. The descendants insist that the opening cords of "Stairway to Heaven" were stolen from a song that the late guitarist wrote called "Taurus," which was performed by the band Spirit.
[...] In August, more than 120 music artists filed an amicus brief in support of the band. The artists have said that if the lawsuit against Led Zeppelin succeeds, it could seriously hamper creativity in music. Even more impressively, the U.S. government also filed an amicus brief on behalf of Led Zeppelin, citing the need to "foster innovation and creative expression."
Previously:
Led Zeppelin Appear in Court Over Stairway to Heaven Vs Spirits Taurus Dispute
Music Copyright Laws Worsen as Artists Give Up
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Monday September 23 2019, @01:25AM
This is my thinking - they're already investing millions in distorting the law for their own benefit and screwing up everyone else in the process... why not just formalize it, systematize it, and get it out in the open: who really cares about copyright on their material? If that's Disney and they've kept the Marvel copyrights up-to-date to the tune of millions of dollars in the recent filing, then, sure, people should respect that.
If Jimi Hendrix estate has decided that the filing fees aren't worth it anymore, then that becomes public record too, and electric ladyland is now fair game for remixing.
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