Led Zeppelin Set To Return To Court Again Over 'Stairway To Heaven' Copyright Claims

Music legends Led Zeppelin are set to return to court and face a new trial over accusations they stole the riff for their iconic track, Stairway To Heaven.

The case was initially dismissed in 2016 by an LA federal court jury, who ruled that the UK band had not copied the opening chords of the 1971 song from '60s rock band Spirit's Taurus.

However, as NME reports, a California appeals court has unanimously ruled that the jury from the original trial were provided with incorrect instructions and that the case should return to court.

The jury were reportedly incorrectly informed that common musical elements like “descending chromatic scales, arpeggios or short sequences of three notes” were not protected by copyright.

Michael Skidmore, a trustee for late Spirit guitarist and Taurus composer Randy Wolfe (also known as Randy California), initially alleged that Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page may have been inspired to write Stairway To Heaven after hearing the LA outfit perform their song while the bands toured together between 1968-1969.  

The news comes as Zeppelin celebrate their 50th anniversary this year and in the same week they began recording their debut album.