A hearing has been scheduled in a Los Angeles federal court in the copyright-infringement lawsuit involving Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven.”
West Side Today reports U.S. District Judge R. Gary Klausner has set an August 17 scheduling conference in the case.
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.”
In May, Led Zeppelin filed a response to the case by 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.
Warner Music Group successfully argued in May that the case should be moved from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, where possible witnesses and business records are located.
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Western Division, is the same court where a jury ruled in March that Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke should pay $7.4 million for infringing on Marvin Gaye's 1977 track “Got To Give It Up” with their 2013 hit, “Blurred Lines.”
Spirit guitarist Randy California drowned while rescuing his 12-year-old son from a rip current in Hawaii in early 1997.
Last year, Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page called the lawsuit “ridiculous.”
See also:
Jimmy Page leaves door open for Led Zeppelin reunion
VIDEO: Led Zeppelin preview expanded Coda deluxe edition reissue
AUDIO: Led Zeppelin premiere rough mix of When The Levee Breaks
VIDEO: Jimmy Page says Led Zeppelin reissues bring closure to band
Search Led Zeppelin at hennemusic
