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May 13, 2016In the News

Jeff Brown talks Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" on Sound Opinions

Sound Opinions

Michael Best Partner Jeffrey H. Brown was featured in a May 13, 2016 segment of Sound Opinions, in which he discussed Led Zeppelin's song "Stairway to Heaven." Check out the full segment, and listen to Jeff at 04:26.


"Stairway to Heaven" is one of the most well-known songs in the history of rock and roll. The 8-minute track is perhaps Led Zeppelin's most iconic number, featuring an opening guitar riff that is legendary in its own right. However, people are now speculating that the band plagiarized the riff. The '60s-era rock group Spirit released a song with a suspiciously similar intro called "Taurus" in 1968, three years before“Stairway.” The late Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe (otherwise known as Randy California) wrote the song, and two years ago his estate filed an initial federal lawsuit alleging that Zep had ripped him off. In April, a U.S. District Judge ruled that there is sufficient evidence to move forward with the trial later this spring. To get some perspective on the case, Jim and Greg talk with Jeffrey Brown, an intellectual property attorney at Michael Best & Friedrich and former concert promoter and producer.

Listen here.

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