We seek to understand and document all radio transmissions, legal and otherwise, as part of the radio listening hobby. We do not encourage any radio operations contrary to regulations. Always consult with the appropriate authorities if you have questions concerning what is permissible in your locale.

Author Topic: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?  (Read 7842 times)

Offline jFarley

  • Marconi Class DXer
  • ********
  • Posts: 5922
  • near Chicago
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #15 on: June 24, 2016, 0201 UTC »
And the forest will echo with laughter.
Joe Farley, Near Chicago
SDR-IQ / R8 / R7
Remote Resonant Loops for HF and LF / ALA 1530
Active 60" Whip / PA0RDT
QSLS appreciated to:    jfarley44@att.net

Offline Pigmeat

  • Marconi Class DXer
  • ********
  • Posts: 6684
    • View Profile
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #16 on: June 24, 2016, 0600 UTC »
I knew a girl who had an on/off relationship Robert Plant in the 70's. She was very popular girl. Around that time she was id'ed by the local Health Dept. as a primary carrier in her area of a particularly virulent strain of the clap from the Philippines that was raging along the East Coast in '77/'78.

I wonder if it still burns when he pees?

Nella F.

  • Guest
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #17 on: June 24, 2016, 2235 UTC »
You do Not want to catch the Clap in the P. I., trust me on that!  :o

Offline Pigmeat

  • Marconi Class DXer
  • ********
  • Posts: 6684
    • View Profile
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #18 on: June 25, 2016, 0407 UTC »
I'm just glad she was out of my league or I would have contracted it, too.

Great girl, great looking, combined with the morals of a drunken frat boy, and with money to burn. She was fun to run around with and an excellent wing woman. When the word got out about her status she headed off for points south.

I last saw her at her wedding, 26 years ago. Her parents, who were observant Jews, were always trying to fix her up with nice Jewish boys. She'd go on the date as the folks would threaten to cut off her funds if she didn't at least play along, but she would always order a bacon cheeseburger to start out the evening, followed by "Wanna bite?" when it arrived. She finally got a taker who was as crazy as she was and married him.

Offline ka1iic

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 903
  • Troy, Ohio
  • Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W,
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #19 on: June 25, 2016, 2235 UTC »
You do Not want to catch the Clap in the P. I., trust me on that!  :o

Nella,

The Clap is the least of ones worries in the P.I.!   These days folks that mess around are playing Russian roulette with a nasty version of HIV/AIDS.  Eventho the working girls are medically checked (yeah right) every month it's showing up in the 'puki casas' over there and not everything that looks like a woman is... if you get my drift.

And you talk about drugs...  Shabu is the candy of the people but there will be a new President sworn in at the end of this month and the drug raids are going 2 to 3 (on the news) every day.  The drug kingpins have already put a bounty on the new Presidents head because the President has put a bounty on the drug kingpins heads... dead or alive... gotta love it...

People are surrendering by the hundreds to get help with their drug habits.

Many of the Cities have put in place curfews for under aged children and no drinking in public for adults...  Oh yeah... adult males can't run around without shirts.... 

I digress from here...

No shirts for guys.... makes me miss Maine in a way... in Maine women can go topless if they like because there is no law against it...  There was a law once but it was struck down because of the equal rights for women movement...  problem is none of the local ladies will do that because it tends to be a bit chilly...  ::)  You guys should check out Old Orchard Beach during the heat of the summer...  look but never touch... OK!   ;D

73 Vince
KA1IIC

"If you can't be anything, you can at least be annoying"

Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W, Yaesu FT-187ND, SDRplay 2, Ratt Shack 2 meter rig, and other little bits of electronics I'm not talking about, homebrewed and otherwise... so there bleech!

Nella F.

  • Guest
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #20 on: June 25, 2016, 2249 UTC »
Hey ka1iic: "Hey Joe smoke pot?" was the most I heard... but this was '77 & I had just re-entered the Navy after being out for 5 years, & what a messed-up directionless 5er that was. You know, not once did someone say "Hey Joe, you want rubber?" Not that I would of put one of those on in any case.  :o

Offline ka1iic

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 903
  • Troy, Ohio
  • Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W,
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #21 on: June 26, 2016, 0337 UTC »
Hey ka1iic: "Hey Joe smoke pot?" was the most I heard... but this was '77 & I had just re-entered the Navy after being out for 5 years, & what a messed-up directionless 5er that was. You know, not once did someone say "Hey Joe, you want rubber?" Not that I would of put one of those on in any case.  :o

Well the new President is going against the Church over there and is promoting birth-control and he has recommended a family have no more than 3 children.  This guy is really going to give it a try to break up the foolishness and corruption, he has told certain persons in high government to resign quietly or he will tell the world who the corrupt persons are.

As for Maryjane, that isn't the real problem anymore, it's the harder stuff that the Chinese are bringing in... It's China's effort to weaken the people so they won't get so upset with the new Chinese Air base in the Spratly Islands.  They kinda sorta took a rock and built an island out of it with a full blown air strip that can handle the biggest war planes China has to offer. 

There will be wars and rumors of wars <sigh>

Many Filipinos were upset that the current President Pnoy just didn't try...  He had the name of a National hero but no belly for the fight.  Sad really...

I hope to get over there but I have so much crap I have to get in place before I leave...  Anyway I will get there, hope the dollar goes back up over 47 peso per $$ then things will look a whole lot better. 
73 Vince
KA1IIC

"If you can't be anything, you can at least be annoying"

Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W, Yaesu FT-187ND, SDRplay 2, Ratt Shack 2 meter rig, and other little bits of electronics I'm not talking about, homebrewed and otherwise... so there bleech!

Offline Skipmuck

  • Global Moderator
  • Marconi Class DXer
  • *****
  • Posts: 12119
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #22 on: June 26, 2016, 1258 UTC »
And as we wind on down the road, our shadow's taller than our soul
QSL's to poorbrookking >at< aol.com are greatly appreciated! All reception and postings using My radio, My antenna, and generally in real time(excluding posting of SSTV images!).
QTH:Springfield, MA
JRC NRD-515 with 43 meter half wave dipole into MFJ 949E Versa Tuner: also Grove SP-200 & SONY 2010's

Offline ka1iic

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 903
  • Troy, Ohio
  • Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W,
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #23 on: June 26, 2016, 1746 UTC »
And an important PSA for all:

VD is nothing to clap about.

Amen!

PS, VD & HIV/AIDS & IV drug use is a big problem here in Ohio too, so it isn't just a problem in 3rd world Countries folks.

vgw
73 Vince
KA1IIC

"If you can't be anything, you can at least be annoying"

Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W, Yaesu FT-187ND, SDRplay 2, Ratt Shack 2 meter rig, and other little bits of electronics I'm not talking about, homebrewed and otherwise... so there bleech!

Offline skeezix

  • Global Moderator
  • Marconi Class DXer
  • *****
  • Posts: 5544
  • Minneapolis, MN
  • What does 'RNO stand for?
    • View Profile
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #24 on: July 11, 2016, 0139 UTC »
Led Zep lawyers want $800k for defending “Stairway to Heaven” lawsuit

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2016/07/led-zep-lawyers-want-800k-for-defending-stairway-to-heaven-lawsuit/

Jul 9, 2016 12:00pm CDT

Just weeks ago, Led Zeppelin defeated a Los Angeles federal copyright infringement lawsuit claiming the opening to the 1971 classic "Stairway to Heaven" was a rip-off of the 1968 instrumental song "Taurus." The suit was brought in 2014 by the estate of Randy Wolfe, who wrote the song for his band Spirit. Wolfe (aka Randy California) died in 1997.

Now nearly three weeks after the verdict, Zeppelin's lawyers are seeking almost $800,000 in costs and legal fees for their troubles. In American law, it's usually up to each side of a lawsuit to pay their own legal fees and court costs. But that's not always true when it comes to copyright law. And the Supreme Court on June 16 provided nuanced guidance to lower courts in determining whether the prevailing party in a copyright lawsuit should be awarded attorney fees. That ruling is likely to make it easier for winners in copyright cases to collect fees from the losing side.

In the "Stairway to Heaven" case, the lawyers said (PDF) in court documents that the suit should not have been brought in the first place. Zeppelin's lawyers claim the suit amounted to "nearly half-century-old claims that neither Randy Wolfe nor the owner of the allegedly-infringed copyright ever bothered to assert." Zep's attorney, Peter Anderson, added that the Wolfe trust "tried to tar 'Stairway to Heaven' and its authors, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant."

What's more, Anderson said he and the other defense attorneys "successfully defended plaintiff’s attempt to wipe 'Stairway to Heaven' off the map, and, in doing so, defendants furthered the important copyright purpose of enriching the general public through access to creative works."

A hearing is set for August 8 before US District Judge R. Gary Klausner.

Before the verdict was reached, tens of millions of dollars were at stake. The suit claimed Zep's opening to "Stairway to Heaven"—an acoustic guitar arpeggiating chords in a descending pattern—contained similar sounds to "Taurus." Zeppelin toured with Spirit in 1968, and the lawsuit alleged that Zep guitarist/songwriter Jimmy Page had heard "Taurus" before the debut of "Stairway to Heaven," which appeared on Led Zeppelin IV in 1971.

During the nearly two-week trial, Page testified that he wasn't sure there were any similarities between the two songs. "I may have said the chord sequences are very similar because that chord sequence has been around forever," Page said. For his part, Plant testified that he could not remember encountering the band Spirit.

The trust's attorney, Francis Malofiy, told the jury that Page and Plant were liable for "copying" the song "Taurus."

"Creation does not mean copying," he said, adding that "creation means doing something that is unique and memorable."

In case you're wondering, Zep's lawyers are billing for the roughly 1,800 hours they spent defending the case since 2014. Anderson, the lead counsel, was billing for $330 an hour, which he pointed out in the filing was "actually below" the going rate. Combined they are seeking $180,000 in costs, (PDF) mostly for expert fees, and $613,000 in lawyer fees.

Here are the two disputed songs. <see the above URL>
Minneapolis, MN

Offline ka1iic

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 903
  • Troy, Ohio
  • Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W,
    • View Profile
    • Email
Re: Did Led Zeppelin steal a riff for 'Stairway to Heaven'?
« Reply #25 on: September 27, 2016, 0207 UTC »
Watta bunch ofa crap!!!

These jerks needs to play good with each other...  these copyright scams are all BS IMHO
73 Vince
KA1IIC

"If you can't be anything, you can at least be annoying"

Troy, Ohio. 20m Vertical & low long wire E/W, Yaesu FT-187ND, SDRplay 2, Ratt Shack 2 meter rig, and other little bits of electronics I'm not talking about, homebrewed and otherwise... so there bleech!

 

HFUnderground T-Shirt
HFUnderground Garden Flag
by MitchellTimeDesigns