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jim6225

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Just read the testimony published in rolling stone. Fascinating insight into the ideas behind and creation of stairway and how it had absolutely nothing to do with spirit. So I would say "thanks for clearing that one up for everyone  Malofiy" .

i would love to be able to have a listen to those early recording of page and Jones, particularly the parts that were ditched and didn't make it to the final version.

A great read but I can't help but wonder how stressful all that would have been. Its been an invasion of privacy, a real shame..

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On 8/20/2016 at 1:06 PM, ZepDomi said:

This is some terrific information, thanks for posting it.   Hopefully the media will pick up on this and expose The Randy Craig Wolfe Trust for what it really is.

Don't hold your breath on that one. I'm pretty sure the only reason the Randy Craig Wolfe Trust is relevant to anyone on the planet is because of it's association with the Stairway to Heaven trial. If any enterprising investigative journalist were going to poke into the legitimacy of the trust, they would have done so in the two years since the lawsuit was filed. Since nobody did, it means nobody cared, and they sure as hell aren't going to care now that the trial is over. If I had to guess, I would guess that without the shakedown money they were hoping to get from Zeppelin the trust will quietly fold within the next few years.

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This happened Aug. 8th. The Judge who allowed the suit to go forward (Klausner) ruled that Led Zeppelin & Warner/Chappell get no compensation from the Wolfe Trust for legal fees.  I suppose if he had granted the legal fees he would have been acknowledging that he made a mistake letting the suit move ahead to the jury.  The lawsuit was "not frivolous", Klausner ruled, and there was no evidence the Wolfe Trust "harbored nefarious motives."

http://www.vcstar.com/news/389540991.xhtml - "Led Zeppelin loses fight for legal fees in Stairway case" - Ventura Star, 08/08/16.

But he had some choice words for Malofiy:  "Throughout the course of litigation, plaintiff's counsel demonstrated a tenuous grasp of legal ethics and a rudimentary understanding of courtroom decorum," Klausner wrote.

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  • 6 months later...
2 hours ago, zeplz71 said:

Oh gawd. Make it stop. Here we go once again...it's like "Groundhog Day".

"A quick listen..." 

Yeah, no shit Sherlock...a quick and superficial listen and you can find similarities between any two pieces of music. But that is not what a court is for. In court you are going to get a thorough and in-depth listen, and that is why you lost and why you will continue to lose, Michael Skidmark.

Stop embarrassing yourself and dragging poor Randy California and his band Spirit down with you. Randy, being a musician, obviously knew he had no case and that's why he never sued Led Zeppelin. All these Johnny-come-lately bloodsucking leeches are doing is wasting time and money.

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These greedy assholes are going to keep dragging this thing out as long as they possibly can because the song is fucking Stairway to Heaven! Arguably THE most iconic rock song ever! If they had even a tenth of a percent of the royalties, they'd be millionaires easily. This whole thing is completely frivolous and bullshit. Spirit does not own a descending arpeggio, nor does anyone else, because it's been used in music for hundreds of years. Plus, only the first four or five notes on the guitar sound at all similar. If this were over a song like Dazed and Confused, I'd at least understand to a certain degree. This is just greediness, plain and simple as that.

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Not only should the appeal be denied, but Robert, Jimmy, and Jones attorney should counter with a vexatious litigant claim of their own. I am sure that would stop this bullshit dead in its tracks...permanently.

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13 hours ago, IpMan said:

Not only should the appeal be denied, but Robert, Jimmy, and Jones attorney should counter with a vexatious litigant claim of their own. I am sure that would stop this bullshit dead in its tracks...permanently.

??

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I guess we shouldn't be surprised by this. Skidmore maybe needs to find a hobby. Or a job. I like how the filing says that the lower court only being able to go by the Taurus sheet music was a "mistake." Nevermind that in 1968 the sheet music was all that could be filed for copyright. Too bad Skidmore couldn't go back in time and retroactively change the law. Normally I would expect a court to toss out such a lame appeal, but given that this is the Ninth Circus court, lord only knows what they'll do.

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Stairway To Heaven  legal shit again?  I saw this movie in  June of 2016.  I liked the ending,  
however I don't want to see the sequel.   

Skidmore,  the two sisters and Francis...Siiiighhh.   Judge Klausner gave them their shot.  A
very generous one allowing it to actually get its day in court too.  They had opportunity to
gather evidence and present it.  What more should the jury take into consideration?   Get
another Spirit fan to testify they saw what they believed was a raccoon pawing and eating
Randy's garbage only to realize 50 years later it was actually Jimmy looking for music
compositions to steal.  Or maybe Skidmore swears up and down he saw an evergreen bush
beside an outdoor toilet at a Spirit gig and he believes it was in the shape of Robert Plant. That
would tell the jury Plant was listening to their set-list  and getting musical ideas to lift and
take back to camp Zep.  Guilty right!?!?

Oh and Randy's sisters.  I'm sure they are Skidmore's biggest cheerleaders.  I need to take a
moment and vent about those two.   Those women are wolves in sheep's clothing.  No
disrespect aimed at  Randy for losing his life to save is son;  that's both tragic and very heroic,
but in a music copyright case it has no spot in the trial.  There is no reason for the jury to know 
that,  other than to try and garner sympathy votes.  Last June both sister's stood outside
the court house speaking to the media while holding up a gigantic picture of Randy with their
mother.   It was quite obvious what they were hoping to achieve.  They wanted to vilify Led
Zeppelin
  as these wealthy stealing musicians and small little folk like Randy California
deserved some of that money all because his life ended tragically in the 90s and a  'charity'  is
in his name.  They wanted people to draw some sort of connecting line between the two.  
Sorry there isn't a line between Stairway writing credits,  the type of son or father Randy
California was,  or how he passed away.   Like I said above a very heroic act regarding his son,  
but quite skeevy to use it as a way to get a pay-day.  I am glad Judge Klausner made sure that
had no impact on the jury's decision.   The decision was based on musical notes on a paper.  

If someone is deserving by all means give them their reward,  but we don't have that here do
we.   This case just rubs you the wrong way,   especially when you read Francis and is merry
band are STILL at it after the jury ruled in Zep's favor.  

Here's hoping this is one very last desperate attempt from that side that will go unanswered.

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17 hours ago, KellyGirl said:

Stairway To Heaven  legal shit again?  I saw this movie in  June of 2016.  I liked the ending,  
however I don't want to see the sequel...

Great post! You're completely right about Randy's sisters, acting as though the evil rich Zeppelin were taking food from the mouths of poor children. Francis Malofiy is a slimy opportunist, but at least in a comical, laughable way. Those sisters are just slimy opportunists.

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  • 2 weeks later...

It was cut and dried that Skidmore and the Wolfe Trust (which exists in name only - there is no such legal trust anywhere in the U.S.) could only claim the deposit copy of the music, not the recording.  That they're asking the appeals court for an oral argument is an indication that this is just a publicity stunt to tarnish the reputation of Led Zeppelin and increase sales of Spirit's music, in whatever format. These people "harbor nefarious motives," there can be little doubt.

Judge Klausner should have thrown the suit out but let it move forward so that a jury could make the call. It's not likely they'll find an appellate court judge who wants the publicity; there's no currency in it - federal judicial appointments in the U.S. are lifetime appointments. 

I also can't find anything in the 90-page filing that says anything about the $800,000 bill - I think the digital music news reporter may have made a mistake. Judge Klausner ruled that Skidmore and the Wolfe did NOT have to compensate Time Warner/Led Zep for the fees. 

If there were laws against crazy people with nefarious motives getting publicity we'd have to jail most of our politicians.

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  • 11 months later...

I see a tweet from @LedZepNews that Francis and the one attorney for Zeppelin were back at
it again in San Francisco at the United States court of appeals 9th district.  Same ol'  Stairway
vs Taurus copyright stuff.  I thought this whole thing was dead and buried? 
:unsure:

 Francis is still a worm in a suit.  I forgot how douche baggy he is. 

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1 hour ago, KellyGirl said:

I see a tweet from @LedZepNews that Francis and the one attorney for Zeppelin were back at
it again in San Francisco at the United States court of appeals 9th district.  Same ol'  Stairway
vs Taurus copyright stuff.  I thought this whole thing was dead and buried? 
:unsure:

 Francis is still a worm in a suit.  I forgot how douche baggy he is. 

The only way Spirit will get anything out of this is if Page flat-out admits to jacking the riff. Even if Page was inspired by it, he still changed it up to where there's no grounds for copyright whatsoever.

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29 minutes ago, gibsonfan159 said:

The only way Spirit will get anything out of this is if Page flat-out admits to jacking the riff. Even if Page was inspired by it, he still changed it up to where there's no grounds for copyright whatsoever.

Then there is the fact you cannot steal a riff which has been, in one form or another, in the public domain. The basic Stairway progression has been around since the 17th century & Bach. That being said, if anyone has a right to sue it would be Davey Graham and the suit against Randy California if that were the case. Davey's 1959 tune Cry Me a River is verbatim Taurus, however Graham being quite the student of music likely realized the progressions roots and figured he would be laughed out of court. Go figure.

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58 minutes ago, IpMan said:

Then there is the fact you cannot steal a riff which has been, in one form or another, in the public domain. The basic Stairway progression has been around since the 17th century & Bach. That being said, if anyone has a right to sue it would be Davey Graham and the suit against Randy California if that were the case. Davey's 1959 tune Cry Me a River is verbatim Taurus, however Graham being quite the student of music likely realized the progressions roots and figured he would be laughed out of court. Go figure.

Then you have Sam Smith being sued by Tom Petty for a progression that is much, much less distinctive than Stairway vs Taurus. So one has to wonder if it's just money that does the talking.

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