--- title: Led Zeppelin Is Getting Sued Over 'Stairway to Heaven' description: The band Spirit has sued Led Zeppelin for allegedly lifting the opening notes of "Stairway to Heaven" canonical: https://time.com/105016/led-zeppelin-is-getting-sued-over-stairway-to-heaven/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-05-19T19:27:48.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:49:40.489Z article:section: Entertainment og:title: Led Zeppelin Is Getting Sued Over 'Stairway to Heaven' og:description: The band Spirit has sued Led Zeppelin for allegedly lifting the opening notes of "Stairway to Heaven" og:url: https://time.com/105016/led-zeppelin-is-getting-sued-over-stairway-to-heaven/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt111e5cbd4eff741b/69869021810bbbd8f5c91aa9/jimmy-page.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Led Zeppelin Perform Live At Madison Square Garden og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Led Zeppelin Is Getting Sued Over 'Stairway to Heaven' twitter:description: The band Spirit has sued Led Zeppelin for allegedly lifting the opening notes of "Stairway to Heaven" twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt111e5cbd4eff741b/69869021810bbbd8f5c91aa9/jimmy-page.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Led Zeppelin Is Getting Sued Over 'Stairway to Heaven' > Sponsored content. 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Terms and conditions apply. * Savings buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Savings Account. * No ATM fees from Ally Bank at Allpoint and Moneypass ATMs plus we reimburse for fees charged by other ATM owners nationwide up to $10 per statement cycle. * Early direct deposit offers eligible direct deposits up to two days sooner. * Spending buckets are a feature of Ally Bank's Spending Account. ## Video: TIME's Top 10 Arena Rock Concerts [Watch (HLS stream): TIME's Top 10 Arena Rock Concerts](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/O1WSv2y7.m3u8) (4:20)  _Published 2013-08-15. TIME put on our concert tee, grabbed our tickets and threw our hands up in the air to find the 10 best arena rock concerts._ by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker May 19, 2014 7:27 PM UTC  NEW YORK - JUNE 07: Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin performs live on stage at Madison Square Garden, New York on June 07 1977 (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns) NEW YORK - JUNE 07: Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin performs live on stage at Madison Square Garden, New York on June 07 1977 (Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns)Richard E. Aaron—Redferns/Getty Images by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker May 19, 2014 7:27 PM UTC You may have never heard of the band Spirit, but Led Zeppelin has. Not only did they play shows with Zeppelin in 1969, but Spirit has also now sued them for allegedly lifting what may be one of the most famous riffs in rock history — the opening notes of “Stairway to Heaven.” “It’s been a long time coming,” attorney Francis Alexander Malofiy said in [_Bloomberg Businessweek_](http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-15/led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-vs-dot-spirits-taurus-a-reckoning). Malofiy is representing a trust for writer Randy California, the deceased Spirit guitarist who wrote “Taurus,” the instrumental track that appeared on the band’s eponymous 1968 debut album and from which the chord progression is allegedly lifted. Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page allegedly wrote “Stairway to Heaven” in 1970, two years after “Taurus” was released and a year after the band shared stages at gigs across the U.S. in 1969\. According to the band’s bass player, Spirit always included “Taurus” in their sets. “It was such a pretty moment,” said Mark Andes to _Businessweek_. “It would typically come after a big forceful number and always got a good response.” In 1997, California went public with his claims about the origins of “Stairway to Heaven.” “I’d say it was a ripoff,” California said in _Listener_ magazine. “And the guys made millions of bucks on it and never said ‘Thank you,’ never said, ‘Can we pay you some money for it?’ It’s kind of a sore point with me.” However, California and Spirit never sued, even though fans had noted the similarity between the songs for years. “Nobody had any money, and they thought the statute of limitations was done,” Mick Skidmore, who manages California’s trust, explained to _Businessweek_. Now, as Led Zeppelin prepares to release remastered deluxe versions of their original albums, including “Stairway to Heaven,” California’s trust is finally springing to action with a copyright-infringement suit and an injunction that would block _Led Zeppelin_ _IV_’s reissue. “The idea behind this is to make sure that Randy California is given a writing credit on ‘Stairway to Heaven,'” Malofiy said. They are most likely seeking monetary reparations as well. _Businessweek_ quotes an estimate that by 2008, “Stairway to Heaven” had earned at least $562 million. Led Zeppelin and Warner Music had no comment on the story. Take a listen and judge for yourself: It sounds familiar, right? \[[_Businessweek_](http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-05-15/led-zeppelins-stairway-to-heaven-vs-dot-spirits-taurus-a-reckoning)\] **MORE:** [11 Suspiciously Soundalike Songs](http://entertainment.time.com/2013/08/22/11-suspiciously-sound-alike-songs/) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/105016/led-zeppelin-is-getting-sued-over-stairway-to-heaven/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/105016/led-zeppelin-is-getting-sued-over-stairway-to-heaven/"},"headline":"Led Zeppelin Is Getting Sued Over 'Stairway to Heaven'","datePublished":"2014-05-19T19:27:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:49:40.489Z","description":"Fans have noted the similarity to Spirit's \"Taurus\" for decades","url":"https://time.com/105016/led-zeppelin-is-getting-sued-over-stairway-to-heaven/","keywords":["Music","Law","Lawsuit"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt111e5cbd4eff741b/69869021810bbbd8f5c91aa9/jimmy-page.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Melissa Locker","jobTitle":"","url":"https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/"}],"articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt111e5cbd4eff741b/69869021810bbbd8f5c91aa9/jimmy-page.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Led Zeppelin Perform Live At Madison Square Garden","caption":"Led Zeppelin Perform Live At Madison Square Garden","creditText":"Richard E. 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