Stairway back to court – Erroneous jury instructions trip up copyright verdict

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Abstract: The 2016 ruling by a trial court in a copyright infringement case over Led Zeppelin’s classic rock anthem “Stairway to Heaven” garnered a lot of attention. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has now sent the case back to the trial court (which ruled in the band’s favor). This article looks at the court’s ruling, which provides some valuable light on how to prove copyright infringement of music in the process. Skidmore v. Led Zeppelin, No. 16-56057, Sept. 28, 2018, 9th Cir.