Led Zeppelin copyright case.

[Madison320]

Led Zeppelin is being sued for supposedly copying the beginning to Stairway to Heaven. The band Spirit wants a certain percentage of the millions the song has made over the years. I have a question about copyright laws. Shouldn't you have to show harm in a copyright case? I don't think it's enough to show you copied a piece of the song, you should have to show that your "copying" actually harmed the victim. If you copied a book, word for word and started selling it, you'd be directly stealing sales away from the true author. That would be actual harm. In this case I don't see how it cost Spirit any money, if anything it may have boosted their sales from the publicity.

 

[CaptUSA]

IP threads have typically been 20 or so pages... You ready for this?

 

[specsaregood]

Led Zeppelin is being sued for supposedly copying the beginning to Stairway to Heaven. The band Spirit wants a certain percentage of the millions the song has made over the years. I have a question about copyright laws. Shouldn't you have to show harm in a copyright case? I don't think it's enough to show you copied a piece of the song, you should have to show that your "copying" actually harmed the victim. If you copied a book, word for word and started selling it, you'd be directly stealing sales away from the true author. That would be actual harm. In this case I don't see how it cost Spirit any money, if anything it may have boosted their sales from the publicity.

IIRC it isn't even the band that is suing, the guy that supposedly wrote the original tune died and his estate is suing...

 

[JK/SEA]

my guess is that evidence will show that note for note, the songs may sound similar in the beginning , are in fact not exactly the same. Case dismissed.

 

[phill4paul]

I use a C, D, G progression in one of my songs. I want a cut if anyone every uses this progression in one of their songs!

 

[sam1952]

Google "my sweet lord" vs "he's so fine"

George Harrison lost that case and courts determined he plagiarized the music...


Later in the 1970s, "My Sweet Lord" was at the centre of a heavily publicised copyright infringement suit, due to its similarity to the Ronnie Mack song "He's So Fine", a 1963 hit for the New York girl group the Chiffons. In 1976, Harrison was found to have subconsciously plagiarised the earlier tune, a verdict that had repercussions throughout the music industry. He claimed to have used the out-of-copyright "Oh Happy Day", a Christian hymn, as his inspiration for the song's melody.

 

[Intoxiklown]

With only 12 base notes....you'd think there be a lot more of these

 

[Brian4Liberty]

There is hardly a piece of music written that can't be related in whole or part to a previously written piece, either intentionally or through convergent evolution.

Page probably modified that riff consciously or unconsciously, and used it as part of his new song. The part in question is not even exactly the same. Not enough similarities in the songs to make a legal case out of it.

 

[presence]

copywrite is theft and cannot exist without a violent state
copying things is not theft because the original owner of the original item still possesses it


/endthread

 

[Zippyjuan]

Led Zeppelin is arguing that it is an old and commonly used chord progression. The song in question :

 

[Zippyjuan]

http://www.guitarworld.com/artist-news/led-zeppelin-can-settle-stairway-heaven-lawsuit-1/29049

This is from April, before it went trial. The trial started this week.

Led Zeppelin Can Settle "Stairway to Heaven" Lawsuit for $1

The lawyers suing Led Zeppelin say their client will settle the "Stairway to Heaven" lawsuit—a claim that's potentially worth millions of dollars—for only $1.

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page would have to give the late Randy California a writing credit on the track.

If Page and Plant agree, they'd prevent a major copyright infringement trial that's scheduled for May 10 in Los Angeles federal court.

“It’s always been about credit where credit is due,” said attorney Francis Alexander Malofiy, who brought the suit on behalf of Michael Skidmore, administrator of the trust of the late Randy Wolfe, aka Randy California. Wolfe/California wrote a tune called "Taurus" for Spirit; Malofiy argues that "Taurus" was the genesis of "Stairway to Heaven." You can hear both songs below.

Led Zeppelin's lawyers argue that any similarity between the songs is based on a musical structure that has existed for centuries, and that it's far too common to be covered by copyright protection.

However, if he gets a song writing credit, it will cost more than $1 since the songwriters get a share of the royalties.

The Founding Fathers felt copyright was important enough to put into the Constitution.

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries

Article 1, Section 8.

 

[HVACTech]

copywrite is theft and cannot exist without a violent state
copying things is not theft because the original owner of the original item still possesses it


/endthread

LOL!

I can't wait.. I need some new shoes..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ1tBVtYOBc

 

[heavenlyboy34]

copywrite is theft and cannot exist without a violent state
copying things is not theft because the original owner of the original item still possesses it


/endthread

Thread winnar^^

 

[heavenlyboy34]

Google "my sweet lord" vs "he's so fine"

George Harrison lost that case and courts determined he plagiarized the music...


Later in the 1970s, "My Sweet Lord" was at the centre of a heavily publicised copyright infringement suit, due to its similarity to the Ronnie Mack song "He's So Fine", a 1963 hit for the New York girl group the Chiffons. In 1976, Harrison was found to have subconsciously plagiarised the earlier tune, a verdict that had repercussions throughout the music industry. He claimed to have used the out-of-copyright "Oh Happy Day", a Christian hymn, as his inspiration for the song's melody.

LOL...pop music is so repetitive that suing of copying is always going to be foolish.

 

[anaconda]

 

[Zippyjuan]

Led Zeppelin doesn't claim they wrote "When the Levee Breaks". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_the_Levee_Breaks

"Babe I'm gonna Leave You" was a direct cover of the Baez song in their own style. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=299

Lots of British bands at the time were big into US blues music and either did covers or heavily borrowed from them.

 

[Madison320]

copywrite is theft and cannot exist without a violent state
copying things is not theft because the original owner of the original item still possesses it


/endthread

If I'm an artist or an inventor, I'm moving out of your country and into one that has copyright laws. You get rid of copyright laws and you'll have a huge brain drain.

Government is force and force is not going away, get used to it.

 

[presence]

If I'm an artist or an inventor, I'm moving out of your country and into one that has copyright laws. You get rid of copyright laws and you'll have a huge brain drain.

and our country will copy your stuff and distribute it freely amongst free men at market price... and our economy will thrive on while your government will enforce your ego's ability to steal "your ideas" from the collective.

Government is force and force is not going away, get used to it.

we endorse voluntarism

 

[acptulsa]

'Oh, he just stole from me, but I steal from everybody.--Woody Guthrie

 

[Madison320]

and our country will copy your stuff and distribute it freely amongst free men at market price... and our economy will thrive on while your government will enforce your ego's ability to steal "your ideas" from the collective.

If there's anyone left smart enough to copy it. All your top engineers and scientists will be gone.

I'm assuming in your anarchist society that you have a mechanism to deal with murder, correct? Why couldn't the same mechanism be used for copyright laws?