The lady and the courtroom are sure that Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” lawsuit is no more — for the second time. Per THR, the band has prevailed in the long-standing copyright battle spearheaded by fellow British rockers Spirit, who allege that “Stairway to Heaven” infringed upon their lesser-known jam “Taurus.” The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals chose to uphold the verdict that ruled in Zepp’s favor, which was previously delivered by a California jury in 2016 — a ruling that culminated after a long trial process that memorably featured the plaintiff’s attorney forgetting Robert Plant’s name. The Ninth Circuit’s decision, which can be viewed here, boiled down to the “inverse ratio rule,” or analyzing the likelihood of Zepp having had access to Spirit’s work. “The trial and appeal process has been a long climb up the Stairway to Heaven,” the documents cheekily conclude. Are they buying it?
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