Whole Lotta copyright infringement

Led Zeppelin’s lead singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page will appear in a Los Angeles court on 10th May 2016, accused of copyright infringement.

A judge in the case said there are “substantial” similarities between their track Stairway To Heaven and Taurus, a song written by the band Spirit in 1967.

The lawsuit was brought by Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the late Randy Wolfe, who was Spirit’s guitarist and composer of Taurus.

Mr Skidmore says the two bands toured together in 1968 and 1969 and this may have been when Page was inspired to write Stairway To Heaven.

Plant and Page, however, say that Wolfe was a songwriter for hire and, therefore, had no claim to copyright.

They also say that the chord progressions in Stairway To Heaven were too well-known for such protection.

Led Zeppelin often drew inspiration from other groups and some of these have resulted in legal challenges.

As a result, the band has already been forced to alter the credits and pay portions of their royalties for songs such as Babe I’m Gonna Leave You and Whole Lotta Love.

If you have a brand, something you have invented, or an original piece of work that you have written and someone infringes your rights we can help. We can assist you in securing an injunction and/or damages or account of profits and the delivery up and destruction of the offending item. If you have been accused of infringing someone’s intellectual property rights then we can also help by raising various defences and minimising your liability.

If you feel you have an intellectual property case and need the advice of a copyright infringement solicitor North West, then please speak to Shalish Mehta, in our civil and commercial litigation department. Please call us on 0161 785 3534 or email sm@wrigleyclaydon.com.

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Shalish Mehta

Shalish is an experienced dispute resolution solicitor who joined the firm in 2002 ago upon qualifying as a solicitor and provides a proactive approach whilst retaining the personal touch to help you achieve the best possible outcome for your case. He acts on behalf of both private individuals and commercial clients. He can assist and advise at any stage of a dispute including mediation through to court action and injunctions. Shalish is a keen sportsman, regularly playing cricket and five-a-side football and also watching live sport. He enjoys city breaks and takes great pleasure in sampling different cuisines from around the world. Shalish is fluent in Gujarati and will happily represent those for whom Guajarati is the first language, in English. He is also happy to offer his services as a translator to our clients as necessary. What clients say about Shalish: “We feel the service was perfect and found our solicitor, Shalish Mehta, very professional and helpful in all aspects”

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