Led Zeppelin cannot recoup their £600,000 legal fees from ‘Stairway To Heaven’ trial

Judge denies their request for reimbursement, saying there is no evidence the claimants 'harboured nefarious motives'

Led Zeppelin and their publishing company will not be able to recoup their $800,000 (£615,000) legal fees from the recent ‘Stairway To Heaven’ trial.

It was announced in June that Led Zeppelin had won their copyright infringement lawsuit after a jury deemed that the band did not plagiarise Spirit’s song ‘Taurus’.

The band were accused of copying part of the 1968 song in a case brought to court by Michael Skidmore, a trustee for the late Randy California (real name Randy Wolfe), who played guitar in US rock band Spirit, who had toured with Led Zeppelin in 1968 and 1969.

Advertisement

Shortly after the verdict, publishing company Warner/Chappell Music filed for the reimbursement of legal fees from the claimants, arguing that the lawsuit was frivolous and intended to take advantage of the band’s deep pockets. However, the Associated Press reports that a Los Angeles judge has now dismissed this argument, saying there was no evidence Skidmore and the trustees “harboured nefarious motives”.

Skidmore and the trustees have already filed an appeal against the original verdict, with their lawyer saying there are “many appealable issues” for him to build a case on.

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories