A jury has found the rock band Led Zeppelin innocent of stealing the opening riff to "Stairway to Heaven.”
The band was being sued by the estate of Randy Wolfe, which claimed Led Zeppelin had stolen the riff from Wolfe's band, Spirit. The song in question, “Taurus,” was released four years before “Stairway to Heaven,” but never became a hit.
The two bands toured together prior to Zeppelins' release of “Stairway.”
Following the ruling, the band’s founding members Robert Plant and Jimmy Page released a statement saying that the band was "grateful" the jury ruled in their favor, confirming "what we have known for 45 years.”
During the trial, Zeppelin’s lawyers argued that the riff was a commonplace “musical building block’” and was therefore in the "public domain.”
Below, you can hear what the openings to the two songs sound like when they heard side by side and then, when they are played at the same time.