Led Zeppelin have filed a response in a federal court in California to a copyright lawsuit over the creation of their 1971 classic, “Stairway To Heaven.”
The suit - brought by the estate of Spirit guitarist Randy California and members of the band – claims the acoustic introduction to “Stairway” was lifted from their 1968 instrumental, “Taurus.”
The Wrap reports Led Zeppelin’s response is light on detail, mostly denying the allegations or claiming insufficient knowledge to answer them.
“Answering paragraph 11 of the First Amended Complaint, including the First Amended Complaint’s footnote 1, Defendants admit that Led Zeppelin has been called one of the greatest bands in history and its members were and are exceptionally talented,” the group’s answer reads, “but otherwise deny each and every allegation contained in paragraph 11 of the First Amended Complaint.”
The group admit to playing shows with Spirit on their first US tour – where the Los Angeles band claims Jimmy Page was exposed to “Taurus” – and to using part of the Spirit song ‘Fresh Garbage” in a medley they performed during some concerts in 1968 and 1969.
Spirit guitarist Randy California drowned while rescuing his 12-year-old son from a rip current in Hawaii in early 1997.
Last year, Page called the lawsuit “ridiculous.”
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