Released in 1971 by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, the iconic Stairway to Heaven has been the subject of a long-running legal battle – that battle is now over with the U.S Supreme Court ruling in the band’s favour.
Composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for their untitled fourth studio album, the track is arguably considered to be the most popular rock song of all time.
On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up the long-running copyright battle over Stairway to Heaven, leaving in place a ruling that rejected all infringement allegations over the song.
In so doing, they denied a petition aimed at reviving the case ending six years of litigation over claims that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant had plagiarized the song’s iconic introduction from the 1968 single Taurus by the group Spirit.
In March of this year, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had upheld a jury verdict finding that Stairway to Heaven did not infringe on Taurus.
The matter has now finally been put to rest.
